Public Relations
by charlayla
Summary: "He's blackmailing Malfoy and I into a relationship! And he's going to fire Malfoy and destroy my career if we don't!"
1. I

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately own nothing but the plot!**

**A/N: This random plot came to me while I was trying to procrastinate (as always). I hope you all enjoy it. Please let me know if you think I should keep going with it.**

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**Chapter 1**

Hermione Granger huffed ungracefully as she threw herself into the shabby chair across from her boss's desk. Phineas Goldbloom, the Head of the Public Relations Department, was rather portly old man who had been in his position for the past 20 years. And if she was being really honest, he was a complete moron and a downright shame to the Ministry of Magic. I mean, you just had to look at the utter disregard that the entire Wizarding Community had for the Ministry to see that he was doing a rather ridiculous job of it all.

The ex-Gryffindor had been working within the department since the end of the Second Wizarding War, 5 years ago. And of course, she had set herself amongst the very top of the department, so much so that she now outranked certain members that had been a part of the team for much longer than her. Phineas was due to retire within the next year and Hermione was doing everything in her power to ensure that she would become the head of the department and bring in some big changes.

It was for this reason she had been breaking her back with her ridiculous workload, trying to ensure that she would be the most eligible for the man's job. The only person in the team that was perhaps remotely worthy of the job was Davy Gudgeon. Though he most definitely wasn't as determined as Hermione, he had fifteen years of experience on her, having worked with Phineas since his appointment as the head of the department and was rather chummy with the old man.

And that was most definitely going to work against her. It was no secret that Hermione was the best option for the position and old Phineas was rather vocal in his disdain for the fast-moving woman. Rather than focussing on his own work, he was doing everything he could to ensure her failure so that he wouldn't be obliged to promote her. And she had been practically bending backwards to impress the damned man.

It wasn't just Hermione he disliked. He was rather disapproving of all of his younger employees – he was convinced that they were all ill-equipped for the job. And it hadn't helped that his department had been subjected to Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt's Reparation Act of 1998.

Former Death Eaters who had shown true remorse for their actions during the Second Wizarding War had been given the chance to make amends for their past sins. Many were placed within lowly positions in the Ministry where they could be monitored and acclimated to a peaceful and just Wizarding World.

Hermione huffed again as she crossed her arms in front of her chest in exasperation. Trust the old man to call for her at '2pm on the dot' and then make her wait.

What seemed to be at least 15 minutes later, the door to Phineas' office flew open and the rotund man pompously strolled into the room. Hermione suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the man; if she wanted to get to the top, she had to play nice with the old coot.

However, she couldn't suppress the groan that escaped her lips as she set eyes on the man who followed him in. He was the most detested of her co-workers; bloody Draco Malfoy. Pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, she tried to ignore the slight throbbing that was building in her head.

Any meeting with both bloody Phineas and Draco Malfoy was enough to make her head pound. The ex-Slytherin had become the bane of her existence ever since he had been taken on by Shacklebolt as his 'pet project'. Draco Malfoy had proven to be the greatest accomplishment of the Reparation Act thus far. He may have appeased the Minister of Magic but he continued to drive Hermione insane with his continuous whining and insults. He had made the task of being his supervisor extremely taxing.

"Ah, welcome Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy." The old man drawled, perching himself in the large seat behind the rather ostentatious desk. His two employees merely stared at him response, Draco offering the man a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, yes, I shouldn't have expected a reply, hm?" He continued. "Some things never change, I suppose. Either way I am glad you are both here on time."

It was Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow as the old man rambled on, almost as if he were buying time. "Get to the point, Goldbloom." Draco hissed, crossing his arms over his chest with impatience.

With a dramatic sigh, the man leaned forward in his chair, placing his arms on the desk in front of him. "Very well. As you know, the Ministry has suffered greatly in the public eye since the war. We are the laughing stock of the community and it is a downright shame. Wizarding communities around the world are looking at us with disdain – unable to keep peace within our midst."

Hermione found herself agreeing with the blonde man beside her. If there was one talent that Phineas possessed, it was the ability to beat around the bush endlessly. He could honestly blabber on for hours, if allowed.

"I said, get to the point." Phineas furrowed his eyebrows at his subordinate in frustration. If it weren't for Shacklebolt, he would have fired the man a long time ago. 'Self-entitled brat. Just you wait – I'll soon get my way.' He thought, a vindictive smile adorning his wrinkled face.

"This may be hard for someone like you but be patient, Mr Malfoy." Hermione was staring at the old man suspiciously. The look on his face told her clearly that he was up to something. And knowing him, his bloody plan would make her life a living hell.

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted," he restarted, sending Draco a scathing glare. "The Ministry has been subject to ridicule since the start of the war. We have been subject to multiple scathing remarks regarding our inability to keep peace within our community. I believe that Monsieur Fournier himself referred to us as a useless bunch of quacks."

"We have been mocked for allowing prejudice to overpower us. The battle of blood has long been considered a medieval notion and we have been ridiculed for our archaic ideals. It is time to put an end to this."

Hermione would have sworn that her eyebrows were somewhere intermingled with her hairline at his words. Of course, equality within the Wizarding World was her ultimate goal. But she somehow doubted that Phineas would be able to pull it off – let alone within any plausible timeframe.

Phineas was still looking quite proud of himself. "So what's your fabulous plan, Phineas?" She asked, her patience close to running out.

Sighing heavily, Phineas glared at the two young adults in front of him. "Apparently patience isn't a strong virtue of your generation." He muttered under his breath before he puffed out his chest with a false sense of grandeur.

"Kingsley and I have been discussing the ways in which we can improve our standing in the public eye. We believe that a romantic relationship between a prominent Pureblood and respected Muggleborn within our community would refute the international opinion of us and ameliorate our standing in society."

He paused with anticipation, smiling meaningfully at the pair in front of him. "Okay…" Hermione muttered in attempt to bring an end to the prolonged silence.

Draco let out a loud sigh in irritation. "What the hell are _we_ sitting here for?" He hissed, his famously short temper nearing its end.

"Well...the two of you are going to be that couple."

A heavily pregnant silence filled the room as the plump man smiled maliciously at the pair who were blankly staring at him. Hermione spluttered rather uncharacteristically, gasping as she tried to contain herself.

"You've lost your fucking mind, Goldbloom!"

The old coot jumped as Draco slammed his fists down on the desk. His face was contorted in an outraged sneer. Phineas suppressed the urge to shudder – if he hadn't known better, he would have been sure that he was staring into the chilling face of Lucius Malfoy.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. Standing up to meet Draco's stance, he stared back at him. "Sit down, Mr Malfoy." The curly-haired girl was still angrily seething in her seat.

"I said you've lost your goddamn mind."

"And I said, sit down. I am not finished."

Draco continued to stare at the man, taking a deep breathe to placate himself. With a sneer, he spun on his heel and unceremoniously threw himself into the chair.

"The pair of you will portray a well-established relationship; you pretend that you have been dating for the past year and play the part of a very much enamoured couple. And you will continue your charade for at least a year, when I shall retire."

"Did you really think we were just going to sit back and agree with you?!" Hermione screeched. Draco winced; if there was anything that he remembered from his school days, it was that her voice reached such an unholy tone when she was furious. He should know; he had been the cause of such rage time and time again.

Phineas scoffed, raising his eyebrow in amusement. "Don't take me for such a fool, Miss Granger. I am well aware of how insubordinate you both are. But I will graciously inform you that it is in your best interests to do as I ask."

Draco barked with laughter. "In our best interests? You've got to be kidding."

"Oh but I'm very serious, Mr Malfoy. I have the power to fire you if I please. So far you have been relatively well behaved but if you refuse me, I most definitely will do just that. And you will lose any chance of rescuing your family's pitiful reputation."

His eyebrows knitted together in displeasure as the man turned to Hermione. "And as for you, Miss Granger, don't forget that I decide who my successor is. As you know, I am rather fond of Davy and would much rather promote him. Doing as I ask is your _only_ chance."

Phineas was much appeased at the distraught grimaces playing on their faces. "Blackmail, Goldbloom? I thought even you were above that." Draco hissed, his rage bubbling inside of him.

"Ah, that is where you are mistaken. This is not blackmail. I am simply making a request – what repercussions you face for your defiance is a different matter." He leant back in his chair and crossed his arms, preening in his moment of glory.

Hermione stood up and stormed towards the door. She threw it open, relishing as it noisily slammed against the wall.

"You are _not _getting away with this!"

Now, seeing Hermione stalk down the hallways with her hair billowing behind her was not a rare occurrence. But this was a whole new story. Justin Finch-Fletchley would later swear that he could see the steam billowing from her ears as she stomped her way past his desk on her way to the Minister's office.

"Minister Shacklebolt is busy at th-"

She threw the door open with such force that Justin would later also swear that the walls shook a little. "Kingsley! We need to speak right now!"

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Kingsley Shacklebolt filed away the last bit of his day's paperwork. It was the first time in a while that he had had a clear desk. He leant back in his chair and looked over the empty desk with satisfaction.

He massaged his temples, preparing himself for his weekly assessment of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement caseload. He jumped in his chair as the door flew open with incredible force. A lump rose in his throat when he saw the woman standing in front of him, her hair sitting like a mane around her head.

"Kingsley! We need to speak right now!" The fury on her face was evident as she marched closer to his desk.

"Hermione." He greeted cautiously. He had always had great respect for the girl and was well aware of her fiery temper. After all, she had socked Draco Malfoy in the jaw when she was only 13 years old.

"Phineas has completely lost his mind! He has gone bloody loony!" She shrieked with outrage.

"I know the man is a little eccentric but don't forget he _is_ your boss."

"He may be my boss but he's fucking bonkers!" Kingsley blanched at her language; never had he heard the woman use such profanities. "He's _blackmailing _Malfoy and I into a relationship! And he's going to fucking _fire _Malfoy and _destroy _my career if we don't!"

She was pacing the length of his office, her hands flying around the room with her words. "There's got to be some law against it! You've got to stop him, Kingsley!"

He sighed deeply. He should have seen this coming from a mile away. "I'm well aware of his plan, Hermione."

Her rant ended abruptly, her eyes widening at him. "What?!"

Kingsley found himself surprised when the windows didn't shatter at the pitch of her voice. "He told me of his intentions last week." He rose his hand as she opened her mouth. "And I must admit, I think it a rather inspired idea."

"Inspired? Inspired?!"

"Yes. _Inspired_. I suggest you do as he asks; he is able to promote and fire whoever as he sees fit if they are not cooperating within the team."

Hermione was gaping at him in a rather inelegant manner. "You're _supporting_ him?" She hissed, her voice reaching a dangerously low level. Now this was a side to her he had seen before, and the object of her wrath had rarely gotten away unscathed.

"Yes I am. There is a reason he has been the head of the department for two decades. I suggest you do as he asks."

She spared him a murderous glare before storming out of his office.

He winced as the door slammed behind the furious woman. Spinning in his chair, he gazed upon the portrait of Albus Dumbledore that hung behind his desk. The bearded wizard was gleefully beaming at him.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Albus." He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The wizard's smile grew larger, if that was even possible, as he chuckled at the dark-skinned man.

"I always do, Kingsley."

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**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. II

**Disclaimer: I am unfortunately not JK Rowling.**

**A/N: I was super excited for the feedback I got from the first chapter! I don't have pre-written chapters so it may take me a little longer to update this story than 'Without a Trace'; especially with exams around the corner! Please be patient with me!**

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**Chapter 02**

Draco Malfoy raised an eyebrow at enraged woman that was pacing in front of him. She had stormed back into Phineas' office in a frenzy and had promptly started yelling at the man. Phineas had let her shout for a little while before silencing her with a flick of his wand. And with that he had laid down the ground rules.

They were to announce their relationship at the upcoming Liberty Ball, an annual celebration of the Second Wizarding War. They had the next two weeks before the ball to smooth out the details of their charade. The arsehole had even forced them into an Unbreakable Vow to keep up a realistic façade for the next year before offering to fund any expenses they needed for the next fortnight to make their story believable.

Draco scowled as he thought back to the end of their meeting.

_[Fifteen minutes ago]_

"Have you ever thought that perhaps one of us is _already_ in a relationship? I'm quite sure that Granger here has been cavorting around with her dear Weasel."

"For your information, _Malfoy_," she hissed, pronouncing his last name like it was a form of disease. "I broke up with Ron a bit over a year ago. But he _does_ bring up a good point, Goldbloom. Do you really think anyone is going to believe that we've been going out for a year? I'm sure Malfoy hasn't been able to keep it in his pants for that long."

Draco scoffed at that. "Perhaps if it were last year, that would be true. But _unfortunately_, I have not graced our community's women with my skills for a little while."

Hermione raised an elegantly arched eyebrow at him. "Having trouble getting it up, hm?"

He scowled at the bushy-haired woman before answering her. "If you must know, I had a rather horrible experience with one particular witch who become somewhat enamoured with me after our tryst. Needless to say, I refuse to put myself in such a situation again." Much to his disdain, he couldn't suppress the shudder that overcame him as he remembered the woman.

_[Present time]_

As she wore circles into his office carpet, he took the opportunity to look her over – he had long tuned out of her rant. He had to admit that when she had laughed at him in Phineas' office, it had been delightfully feminine. But as for the rest of her…well she was exactly what he expected of a prudish bookworm.

She had a frizzy mane of uncontrollable brown hair and her eyes were a rather nice auburn colour. He did quite like the spark he could see flashing in her eyes as she continued to chuckle. And rather predictably, she was wearing much-too-large robes that were rather drab. Her feet were covered with a rather dowdy pair of Mary Janes.

"So Malfoy, tell me…what exactly happened with your last conquest?" She ungracefully threw herself into the couch across from his desk.

"That's none of your business, Granger." He snarled from behind his desk, frowning as he leaned back to glare at her.

She smiled that insufferably all-knowing smile and leant forward. "Well actually, it is most definitely my business, especially if we've supposedly been dating for the past year."

Draco sighed heavily, massaging his temples with irritation. "Fine."

_[Flashback]_

"_Dracoooo! Baby! Let me in!"_

_Pinching the bridge of his nose, he glanced out of the peephole. That bloody woman was standing at his door, screaming like a cat being tortured. Who the hell had let her into the damned building?! He had obviously been bloody hammered when he had met her at the bar last week because he could have sworn she was a 10 out of 10._

_Of course, she was drop dead gorgeous – the woman could be a model if she wanted – but her empty head and grating personality were a different story._

"_Drakeeeyyyyyy!"_

_The woman had somehow found out his address. In the week since he had snuck out of her place as she fell asleep, she had not left him alone. She had followed him EVERYWHERE. On his way to work, she had been there. Out for dinner with Blaise and Theo, she was there. When his mother dragged him into Diagon Alley with her, she was there._

"_Baby boy! Let me in!" He thanked Merlin for what had to be the thousandth time for the wards his mother had insisted he place on his apartment._

"_Get lost, woman!" He growled through the door._

"_Why are you trying to hurt me Draco?" She whined, her voice reaching an unholy pitch._

"_If you don't get off my doorstep this instant, I will call the Aurors." He threatened. It was the last thing he wanted to do – admit that he couldn't handle a 100lb woman. But she was certifiably insane._

_[End Flashback]_

Much to his disdain, Draco had resorted to summoning the Aurors. And to his utter horror, Pothead and Weasel had appeared on his doorstep. It had been a positively humiliating experience and with that ended his illustrious career as the Casanova of Wizarding Britain and serial heart-breaker.

His scowl deepened as the ex-Gryffindor howled with laughter. "Go to hell Granger." She was wiping away the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. He smirked at the woman in front of him. "Your turn."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"I said, it's your turn." He drawled. "I told you my story. Now what happened with you and Weasel? I was sure you two would have been popping out pauper babies by now."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the man; apparently he would never grow up. With a heavy sigh, she propped herself up with her forearms on her thighs.

"We started dating after the war and things were lovely at first. But looking back, I wasn't quite as taken with the relationship as he was. Ron wanted to get married and start a family. He wanted me to stop working and become a housewife…become his mother. And then he became increasingly possessive; if he ever saw me talking to another guy that he didn't trust, he'd completely lose it. I realised that I didn't want the same out of life as him and I didn't love him like I should have. So I ended the relationship."

Draco sat speechless. He hadn't exactly expected her to answer him so candidly without hesitation. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So…how are things now?"

She sat back in the cough with a heavy sigh. "Awkward – he's convinced that I'll come running back to him. He is still quite possessive of me. It _has_ strained my relationship with Harry and Ginny – but I still try to see them when I can."

He shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Why are you telling me this?"

Hermione shrugged. "If we're supposedly dating, you'd be expected to know this. Besides, you'll have to face him at the ball."

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_[3 days later]_

"I still don't bloody understand why we're here, Malfoy."

They were standing on front of a rather extravagant boutique somewhere in the middle of Paris. Hermione was in no way surprised that he had chosen some showy place to take her. A large ornate wire sign hung over the doorway, announcing the name of the store. _Beautification Personified_. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Draco." He reminded her under his breath. "And we're here because if you're going to be my girlfriend, you're going to have to _look_ like it."

"There's nothing wrong with the way I look now!" She glared at him as a bark of laughter escaped his lips.

"You've got to be joking, Hermione." He said, accentuating her name to prove a point. No one was going to believe they were in a committed relationship if they couldn't even use each other's first names. "You look like a menopausal woman."

"I do not!" She hissed with indignation. "Excuse me for dressing practically."

"There's a line between practical and a frumpy old librarian." He struggled to suppress his mirth as she stormed into the store in a huff.

"Bonjour Madamoiselle!" A rather effeminate man pranced up to her, throwing his hands in the air as if they were long lost friends. "What can I do for you?" His voice was heavily laced with a French accent.

"Pierre." Draco greeted as he made his way into the salon.

"Ah Monsieur Malfoy! A pleasure as always!" The Frenchman greeted, giving the blonde a quick embrace. "Is this lady with you?"

"Yes, she is. And as you can see, she desperately needs some attention." He muttered, ensuring Hermione had overheard him.

"Yes, yes. So sad. But so full of potential, no?" Pierre was already eyeing her over, forming a checklist in his mind.

"_This lady_ is standing right here and can hear you." Hermione hissed, even more put out when the two men ignored her.

"Do what you can, Pierre; hair, skin, makeup, clothes…everything. There's no monetary limit." The man clapped his hands with joy before bustling Hermione off in front of him.

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_[A few hours later]_

Draco Malfoy was impatiently pacing up and down the salon entrance. It had been hours since he had left Hermione behind, taking the time to visit some old friends who lived in the area. He had known going into this that it wouldn't be easy to make Hermione resemble a reasonably attractive woman but this was simply ridiculous.

A musical feminine laugh rang through the salon, cursing himself as his stomach somersaulted. The last thing he needed was to think of Granger in _those_ ways. No – they had agreed that they were going to treat this whole mess as a business transaction and nothing more.

"Monsieur Malfoy! We have been waiting for you!" Pierre announced as he appeared at the reception desk.

"I trust everything went well."

"Oh absolutely perfect! The mademoiselle made it very easy – we barely had to do anything…apart from replacing her wardrobe, no?" Draco scoffed; that was an understatement if he ever heard one. I mean really, did the bookworm borrow all her clothes from McGonagall? "Follow me, follow me!"

His eyebrows shot up as he made his way through to the heart of the boutique. A large black velvet curtain was drawn across the room, hiding Hermione from his sight. Pierre's assistant was excitedly grasping at the edge of the curtain, waiting to reveal their handiwork.

"Are you ready, Draco?" He raised his eyebrow impatiently at the flamboyant man. "Désolé, Monsieur. I present to you – Hermione Granger."

Draco braced himself, clenching his jaw to prevent it from to dropping open. Who the hell knew Granger looked like _that_?

Her hair wasn't quite as unkempt as it had been before, tamed into wild curls that framed her face quite perfectly. A slight touch of makeup had emphasised her defined cheekbones and made her eyes seem to sparkle. And that _body_.

Granger clearly needed to dispose of her whole wardrobe because the robes did her no justice whatsoever. Pierre had put her into a rather low-cut maxi dress that seemed to perfectly skim her secret curves. The dress had daring slits travelling up the sides of it, flashing her wonderfully toned legs. And that arse…well it looked perfectly delightful in that dress.

Draco cursed at himself as he felt a twitch of arousal wash over him and his mouth dry. 'For Salazar's sake, Draco. Pull yourself together. This is _Granger_ we're talking about here.'

"Well, _Draco_?" She asked. "Am I now acceptable for your majesty?"

He scowled at her sarcastic tone. "Whatever Granger. I'll see you at the office tomorrow."

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_[One week later]_

Ever since that day at the office, things had gone downhill. Not a single day had passed without a monumental squabble between the two of them; Hermione was all too grateful for the silencing spells she had made sure to cast each morning.

They had earned a fair few curious stares and whispers from their co-workers. After all, it wasn't often that the two of them spent the day cooped up in their offices together. And she wasn't afraid to admit that she had been pushed to some rather desperate measures in an attempt to get herself out of this whole mess.

She had begged Kingsley to change his mind but the man had outright refused. He had barely even considered what she had to say before shooing her out of his office. And she had been practically kissing Phineas' wrinkled arse. She had been so sure that there was _something_ she could do to change his mind. But that damn fool had stuck to his bloody guns.

"Hermione?!" She had finally relented and agreed to meet Ginny and Harry for lunch.

She smiled widely at the couple before her. They had gotten engaged soon after the war and had married a year after that. And only two months ago, they had announced that they were expecting their first child.

She leapt from behind her desk and hugged the dark-haired man before turning to his wife. "Oh Gin! Look at your belly!" Ginny was proudly sporting a rather rounded abdomen.

"Well I _am_ four months along now. The only reason you're getting all excited is because I've barely seen you since I told you I was pregnant! Speaking of barely seeing you – you look bloody gorgeous!"

Mumbling her apologies and thanks, she pulled the giddy redhead into a warm embrace before grabbing her purse. She linked arms with Ginny and moved out of her office, leaving Harry to trail behind. She momentarily faltered in her steps as she saw Draco returning from lunch.

"Good afternoon Potters." He greeted curtly, getting two confused faces in return.

"Uh…hello Malfoy." Harry responded. Hermione stifled a giggle at the slack-jawed expression on Ginny's face as she rather inelegantly stared at the man.

"Where are you off to, Hermione?"

Hermione felt her cheeks heat up as he said her name. It was the time he had acted like this in front of either of their friends. "Just going to lunch with Gin and Harry. I haven't seen them in far too long." She replied courteously.

He flashed a brilliant smile at the three friends. A genuine, civilised smile. "Well, have a good time. Congrats on the baby, Ginevra…Harry."

And with that he was gone, leaving a rather flabbergasted trio in his wake.

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**A/N: Review my lovelies!**


	3. III

**Disclaimer: not mine!**

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed! This chapter was a bit of a struggle for me to write. Please let me know! Just so you all know, I have exams coming up in the two weeks so I might not be able to update for a little while.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 03**

**Monday, April 26****th**** 2004 – 12:42pm**

**The Three Broomsticks**

"Bloody hell! What was that about?" Harry exclaimed as he practically threw himself into the only available booth at the Three Broomsticks moments after Apparating into the establishment. The lunch crowd was at its peak, the room bustling with people.

Ginny was smiling with a wistful gaze, one that could rival that of Luna Lovegood. "I think it's wonderful!"

Harry raised an eyebrow at his wife. "You've got to be joking, right?"

Her glee ended abruptly as her eyes prickled with tears. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Harry! Must you be so heartless?"

Hermione stifled a giggle at her overly-emotional, hormonal friend. "Calm down, Gin. It's alright. I think it's a good thing too." She reassured her, patting her on the back. "Really, Harry? Haven't you learnt to never disagree with a pregnant woman?"

The girls erupted into a fit of giggles as the dark-haired man glared at them. "Ugh I know better than to argue with you." He rolled his eyes before excusing himself to the bathroom.

Ginny took the time to scrutinise the woman sitting beside her, a wide smile growing on her face. "So Mione, what's with the makeover?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, tucking a strand of her now-soft curls behind her ear. "I don't know. I just felt like a change, you know?"

Ginny squealed knowingly, elbowing Hermione rather harshly in her excitement. "Sorry…" She had the decency to mumble before she yet again exploded with curiosity. "Is there a man in your life, Mione?!"

Hermione felt her face burn as a bright flush rose to her cheeks. "Wh- I don't…NO…"

"Mione."

"No!"

"Mione…"

"NO!"

"Harry's on his way back here. I can keep asking in front of him."

"Fine! Yes…but just leave it at that. You'll find out at the ball."

The redheaded woman merely gave her friend a knowing smile as her husband approached the table.

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**Monday, April 26****th**** 2004 – 2:05pm**

**Ministry of Magic**

Hermione stormed back into the office in a state. After Harry had returned to the office, she had been interrogated with some rather personal and probing questions. Ginny had rattled off question after question, trying to get as much information about Hermione's 'mysterious man' as possible, as she called him. And Hermione was _not_ happy.

Draco's eye raised as she stormed past his office and slammed her office door behind her.

With a heavy sigh, he made his way to her office and knocked on her door. "Come in."

"Oh bloody hell, Malfoy. What do you want?"

Hermione had practically thrown herself into her chair, having tossed her robes over the back of her chair. His eyes widened momentarily before his face returned to its usual stoic state. He couldn't quite believe what she wore under those plain robes of hers. Her mustard yellow button-up shirt was unbuttoned enough so that he could see the appealing curve of her chest, tucked into a slim-fitting black skirt.

He should never have let Pierre make over her wardrobe.

"Well, it looked like your little lunch didn't go so well. And it's Draco."

"What?" She hissed, rubbing her temples with frustration.

"My name is Draco – we need to get accustomed to using each other's first names, remember?"

Hermione sighed, sitting up in her plush chair. "I'm sorry. Lunch was fine."

Letting out a bark of laughter, he perched himself on the edge of her desk. "Now we both know that's a lie. You stormed in like someone had set fire to your robes."

"Lunch _was _fine. Ginny figured out that my makeover was because of a new relationship. Given that the ball is in a week, I couldn't deny it. And even though I told her she find out who then, she spent an hour pestering me for details. And I had nothing to tell her! It was horrendously awkward!"

She frowned as Draco didn't bother to hide his amused chuckle.

"It's not funny, _Draco_! She was asking about our sex life! She wanted every single damned detail!"

His chuckle had morphed into a full laugh at this. "Just tell her we haven't had sex yet. I'm sure you're enough of a prude that she'd believe you."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she huffed with indignation. "I'm going to let that pass for the sake of this conversation." She muttered, glaring at her supposed boyfriend. "And for your information, she wouldn't have believed it – I've had sex before.

She wasn't quite sure why she had felt the need to defend herself. She had never quite cared what Draco thought of her. But for some reason, she felt as though she had to validate herself.

"I'm sure you have, Hermione."

"Thanks for the sarcasm. But I assure you, I haven't been a virgin since 5th year. I'm sure that something you'd know as my boyfriend."

Draco choked on the small amount of saliva that had collected in his mouth. "What? 5th year?"

"Yeah."

"Who? How?!" He spluttered, thumping a fist over his sternum.

"A childhood friend from home. Should I go into more detail?" She was sitting comfortably, amusedly watching as Draco grew increasingly flustered. "Well, it was a rather cold night and Matthew and I had gone camp-"

"No!" Draco yelled, jumping up from his spot on her desk. He grimaced as she burst into laughter, boldly smirking at him. "Was any of that true?"

She laughed lightly. He stubbornly ignored the way his stomach flipped at her musical laughter, inwardly cursing himself. "Apart from the last sentence, yes. Now…if I've sated your curiosity, can we please be serious for a moment?"

He nodded and awkwardly learnt back against the edge of her desk.

"As I was trying to explain to you, we need to figure this out. If we've been supposedly dating for a year, we'd know all these things about each other that we simply don't! And we would have…" She paused momentarily, regretting the blush that was rising to her cheeks. "We would have _done_ stuff."

It was Draco's turn to smirk at the woman in front of him. "I suppose we would have. Want to practice, Granger?"

He ducked just in time, as a small empty inkpot flew where his head had just been and hit the wall behind him. "Sod off, Draco."

He chuckled lightly, moving towards her door. "We'll go by your place after work today and discuss everything."

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**Monday, April 26****th**** 2004 – 5:27pm**

**Ministry of Magic – Office of Draco Malfoy**

Hermione leant against his doorway, arms tucked into her skirt pockets. "Are you ready to go?"

Draco looked up, surprise flitting past his eyes. He glanced at the clock against the wall, finally taking note of the time. "Oh shit. Sorry – I didn't realise what time it was. Give me a second."

He quickly gathered his wand and some paperwork before following her to the atrium. Hermione turned back towards him, extending her hand and looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"We need to Floo to my place and my wards aren't going to let you in without me. I'll adjust them when we're there."

"Yes. Right. Sorry."

Draco flinched as he apologised to her for the second time in only a few minutes, hesitantly moving closer to her so that she could grasp his arm.

"Granger Apartment!"

He felt that familiar churning feeling as they entered the fireplace, keeping his eyes firmly shut to ensure he didn't become dizzy. As he felt his feet return to solid ground, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.

He noticed with surprise that her apartment was rather stylish. A mixture of wooden and plush beige furniture sat on the dark wood floors, accentuated with pale blue chevron cushions. Unsurprisingly there was an expansive bookshelf, nearly overflowing with both large educational tomes and paperback novels, many of which had clearly been read time and time again. The walls were covered with a combination of Muggle and Wizarding photos, each picture practically resonating with love and happiness.

Draco glanced to his left, noticing Hermione watching him. "Nice place."

Her face broke out into a smile as she hung her robes on a nearby hook and placed her bag on an armchair. "Right. Make yourself at home and I'll get us some tea."

She disappeared behind an elegant black door that contrasted nicely against the off-white walls. He placed his robes beside hers and awkwardly lowered himself into the couch. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine sitting in Hermione Granger's living room as she made them tea.

Hermione made her way back into the room, levitating a tray of tea and scones behind her. "Call me old fashioned but I was raised to _always_ feed my guests."

He simply nodded at her, the deep grumble in his stomach speaking volumes as he reached for a scone and smothered it with strawberry jam.

"So tell me, Draco. Apart from the delightful story of your one-night-stand stalker, what else should I know about your love life?"

Draco snorted at her description, allowing himself to swallow a mouthful before answering. "There hasn't been much of a love life. Just…well, just one night stands. My longest relationship was only 3 months."

"Only 3 months?!" She asked incredulously.

"I don't know why you're surprised. You know how unbelievably vapid most wealthy Pureblood women are and for some reason, my mother is obsessed with setting me up on dates with them. I just couldn't stand the girl."

Hermione choked on her tea as she unsuccessfully tried to stifle a chuckle. "I never thought I'd see the day you admitted it."

"What about you – apart from your ridiculously publicised relationship with Weasley?

Hermione set her cup on the coffee table in front of her. "After Ron, I went on a few dates with a guy that was a couple of years ahead of us at Hogwarts."

"And?"

She sighed as she stared down at her hands that were now nervously fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "And then Ron happened. He couldn't cope with the fact that we're over and he became really possessive and jealous. He followed us everywhere and even went as far as to threaten Josh. It became impossible for us to even think about a relationship, you know?"

A heavy silence fell between them as Draco mulled over her words. He cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Wow. Is he still like that?"

Hermione glanced up to meet his gaze, startled to see genuine interest and concern in his eyes. "Ginny was incredibly mad at him and warned him to leave me be, as did Harry. But I haven't gone on a date since."

"Wow…" Draco repeated before another silence filled the room.

Hermione let out a soft bark of laughter before reaching for her cup again. "Yeah…so tell me about your family."

"Not at all what you would expect."

She raised an eyebrow at that as he smirked at her. "What do you mean?"

Draco leant forward, leaning his forearms on his knees.

"The war changed everything, Hermione. My mother was never a strong supporter of Voldemort and all of his ambitions. But it was her role as a high-society Pureblood wife to stand by and support my father."

She opened her mouth but was silenced by him raising his hand.

"And we all know what my father was like – I mean, you experienced it yourself. But the war shook him. He had been doing exactly what he was raised to do, only to find out that everything was a lie. Not only was Voldemort a hypocrite, being a Halfblood, but he had no sense of loyalty to his followers. Before the final battle, my father had already begun to question everything he had been taught. He saw that your blood was just a red and free-flowing at mine – not murky and sluggish like we had been taught to believe. He saw the way that Voldemort used me in our sixth year, without any concern for my safety."

Draco paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. "And then, the way you all recognised what my mother had done in telling Voldemort that Potter was dead. The way you all gave us a second chance, an opportunity to make up for our transgressions. Look it's hard to explain – but he's not the same man anymore."

Hermione nodded, letting a comfortable silence fill the room.

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**Monday, April 26****th**** 2004 – 8:40pm**

**Zabini Manor**

"So where the hell are you running off to? We barely finished eating."

Draco threw back his tumbler of Firewhiskey before glancing over to his two friends, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. They were both watching expectantly as he placed his glass back on the table.

"Shit. I left some paperwork at H-…at the Ministry."

"So? Just get it tomorrow. They're safe at the Ministry." Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde man standing in front of him.

"Well I can't just leave them there!"

Theo leant forward, placing his arms on the table in front of him. "What? On your desk?"

"Wh-no! They're not on my desk. Just…I just need to get them, okay?"

The two men eyed Draco suspiciously as he became increasingly flustered. "Talk about shifty. Who is she?"

Draco spluttered momentarily, before meeting Theo's gaze with a glare. "Who is _who_? I need to get my damned paperwork!"

Blaise and Theo watched him with interest as he spun on his heel as stormed to the fireplace and disappeared into the flickering green flames.

"Definitely a girl."

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**Monday, April 26****th**** 2004 – 8:42pm**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Draco stumbled out of the fireplace, dusting his robes as he caught his footing, wincing at the loud music that attacked him. An overwhelming bass beat thudded through the air, an unintelligible male voice mumbling over the music.

He glanced around in confusing, his eyes widening at the enticing site in front of him. The slim brunette was wearing a mere pair of incredibly short, wonderfully tight-fitting denim shorts that showed off her bare, toned legs and a flimsy white tank top that clung to her frame. She was facing away from him, her hips enticingly swaying in time with the music.

He gulped as his mind processed the scene in front of him, his eyes glued to the twirl of her perfectly rounded backside. His mouth dried as she slowly turned on the spot.

Her eyes were gently closed as her hips moved, each beat accentuated by every tantalising movement. His stomach erupted in butterflies as arousal spread through his body. Her hands ran up her body to tangle themselves in her unruly curls as her body whirled like a cyclone.

Draco clenched his teeth as his trousers tightened against him and his hands grew increasingly clammy. His eyes were fixated on the lacy emerald bra that was visible through her fairly insubstantial top. He tried to steady himself, unable to think clearly as he watched her every enticing move.

Before he could even understand what was happening, his feet were moving him in her direction. His arms moved out in front of him as he grasped her hips and pushed her against the wall behind her. She gasped with shock as her eyes shot open.

He paused for a moment, carefully reading her for any unwillingness. He searched her dark eyes, rewarded by the desire that burnt in her eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, his lips crashed into hers as he closed the gap between their bodies. One of his hands reached up to cup her cheek as the other arm snaked around her waist.

He groaned against her lips as she raked her hands up her body and laced her fingers in his hair. He ran his tongue along her lower lip, relishing in the moan that rumbled in her throat as she parted her lips. Their tongues battled for dominance as she pulled at his hair, his desire growing with each frantic kiss.

His hands moved to the back of her thighs as he lifted her into his arms. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands moving his chest. His hands grasped at her arse urgently, as her fingers deftly began undoing his shirt buttons.

He pressed their hips together and his lips found the nape of her neck. Hermione gasped with pleasure as he nibbled at her skin, his body shuddering as her nails ran down his bare chest.

'Meow!'

Startled, Draco pulled his lips away from her supple skin, turning to face the small black and white Kneazle.

"Cleo!"

Hermione gasped, unwrapping her legs from his waist. He unceremoniously dropped her from his arms, stumbling away from her. Her hands were clasped over her mouth as she stared at him in surprise.

"Wh-I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that, he was gone.

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**A/N: Please read and review! I'm not good with smut/lemons/passion so please let me know what you think!**


	4. IV

**A/N: I firstly want to apologise to those who read the last chapter before I fixed up the page breaks. I keep putting asterisks and lines in my documents but they disappear whenever I upload the chapter! I tried using 'XXXXX' for this chapter – hopefully it works!**

**Thank you to those who reviewed! I've never written a remotely passionate scene – so thank you for your support – hopefully I did it some justice.**

**I'm also going to try to add in better timelines; let me know what you think.**

**Please read and review! Review = love!**

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**Chapter 4**

**Monday, April 26****th**** 2004 – 9:00pm**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Hermione stood frozen, her hands clasped over her mouth. What the _hell_ had just happened? Her flimsy top was haphazardly bunched up so that the soft flat expanse of her stomach was visible and her hair was wonderfully ruffled. She ran a finger over her swollen lips, revelling in the light twinge of pain that tingled at the touch.

'Oh dear Merlin.'

She had just thoroughly kissed Draco Malfoy. Well, if she was being completely fair, _he_ had thoroughly kissed her – he had initiated it. What the hell had he been doing in her apartment anyway?

Grasping her wand from the nearby tabletop, she quickly silenced the pulsating music. Her heart was pounding, seeming to only get stronger as her mind flitted to the moments before. Angrily throwing herself on the couch, she covered her face with horror. Her body most definitely should _not_ have reacted to bloody Draco Malfoy like that.

The way that he had desperately clung to her buttocks. The ferocity with which he had explored every inch of her mouth. The way he had devoured the skin above her erratic pulse. The way his powerful body had pressed against hers, trembling with pleasure. The way his manliness had gratifyingly pressed against her core.

With a horrified squeal, she felt heat burning through her body at the mere thought of his attention. It was wrong. It was terribly wrong.

And yet, Godric, it had felt so good.

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**Monday, April 26****th**** 2004 – 9:05pm**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

Draco Malfoy was pacing circles. In fact, he hadn't stopped pacing since he had Flooed to his apartment. What the hell had he just done?!

He had just bloody well snogged Hermione Granger, that's what. He had practically _pounced_ on the woman and _ravished_ her. And Merlin, he had loved every single second of it. What the hell was wrong with him?!

But the way that woman had moved, the way her body had swayed and gyrated – he really could not be held accountable for his actions.

Running a hand through his hair, he closed his eyes. He let out a soft moan as he almost felt her nimble fingers clutching to his hair. He felt his manhood twitch as he remembered the way her nails had grazed his chest. And that damn heat that had emanated from her with her legs wrapped around his waist…oh dear Merlin and Morgana. That woman was bewitching.

Bloody hell. He needed a cold shower.

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**Tuesday, April 27****th**** 2004 – 8:23am**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

She was acting like an idiot teenager.

There was no doubt about it and Hermione knew much better than to try and deny it. She was preening in front of the mirror like a boy-obsessed fifteen year old girl. She was acting like bloody Romilda Vane, for Merlin's sake.

She had barely slept that night before, her mind and body tortured with lascivious thoughts of Draco Malfoy. It probably hadn't helped that she hadn't been touched by a man like that since…well since Ron. And if she were being truly honest with herself, it had never been quite like that. No, Draco Malfoy clearly knew how to make a woman squirm. Having given up on sleep when the sun started peeking through her curtains, she had tried to calm her jittering nerves with a long soak in the bath.

It had not helped.

At all.

No. Each time she allowed her eyes to close and mind drift, she had seen the image of a well-built, very naked Draco Malfoy joining her in all his splendid glory. If what she had felt last night were anything to go buy, all those rumours at Hogwarts regarding Draco's _manliness_ were most definitely true.

And now here she was – ready for work after having spent far too long on making sure she looked her very best.

She was wearing a royal blue capped-sleeve dress that whilst modest, hugged her curves in the right way. Her hair was pinned back, pulled back so that her curls softly cascaded down her back. And she had taken the time to apply a little more makeup than her usual basic eyeliner.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Thoroughly ravished by a man for the first time in nearly two years and she was going out of her mind.

With a loud sigh, she resigned to the fact that her body had responded to Draco Malfoy more than she had ever responded to a man before. She pushed that thought out of her mind, impatiently rubbing at her temples before making her way to work.

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**Tuesday, April 27****th**** 2004 – 8:30am**

**Ministry of Magic**

Draco froze momentarily, his nerves erupting through his body, as he heard Hermione enter her office. After – ahem – taking care of himself the night before, he had come to a rather firm decision. He was a man. She was a bloody delectable woman. And last night had happened on a whim.

In a matter of days, Hermione and he were to publicise their relationship – they would most definitely have to discuss last night at some point. Taking a few deep breaths, he steeled himself for what he was sure was going to be an awkward conversation. Slowly but purposefully, he opened his door, letting out a little yelp at the man who stood in front of him.

"Bloody hell, Symonds!" He gasped, coming to an abrupt halt just in front of the man.

"Sorry Draco. Bit jumpy there, aren't you?"

The tall brunette man smiled cheekily at him, casually rocking back on his feet. Though Mitchell Symonds had been in Ravenclaw the year below him, they had never spoken to each other during their Hogwarts' days. Having met on Mitchell's first day within the team, they had quickly become rather friendly.

Rubbing a hand over his weary eyes, Draco eyed his friend suspiciously. "What do you want Mitch? It's too early."

Mitchell raised an eyebrow at him, waving a hand in front of his glazed eyes. "Earth to Malfoy. We have that follow up meeting for the Annual War Orphans Fundraiser." He stated, his sentence sounding more like a question than a statement.

Letting out a frustrated groan, he turned back to his desk to grab a fairly bulky folder. The fundraiser was a yearly project that had been assigned to Mitchell, Hermione and himself last year. After a failed meeting two months prior, they had agreed to take the time to ponder over their ideas and reconvene at a later date – today apparently.

Draco could feel his heart race as Mitchell rapped on Hermione's office door.

"C-come in." His stomach flipped as he heard her timid voice call out. Dear Merlin – small flashes of her petite body pressed against his jumped out at him at the mere sound of her voice. As Mitchell reached out to open the door, Draco felt the fleeting urge to turn and bolt. He blindly followed Mitchell into the room, stumbling as his eyes fell upon the woman.

Oh sweet Circe – this woman was irresistible.

Her dress was practically _painted_ onto her body, clutching to the subtle curves of her hips. Though not offensively low-cut, he could see just enough of her ample breasts to make his groin stir. And those supple, muscular legs that had so wonderfully clung to his body last night…they were bloody perfect.

She turned towards her desk and Draco had to force himself to _not_ moan at the sight of her delightfully round arse in that dress. Her hair lightly swayed with the movement, revealing the perfect curve of her neck. He felt his pants tighten against him at the sight of a small bruise at the nape of her neck.

'Mine.'

The thought possessively flitted through his mind as she turned back towards them.

"Holy shit, Mione. Look at you!" Mitchell exclaimed, playfully waggling his eyebrows at the sight.

Draco almost growled at his friend, jealousy coursing through his body. Hermione felt her breath hitch as he hungrily ravaged her body with his eyes.

This meeting was going to be hell.

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**Tuesday, April 27****th**** 2004 – 11:18am**

**Ministry of Magic – Office of Hermione Granger**

Mitchell sighed wearily as their meeting finally came to an end. After many disagreements and squabbles, they had finally come to some agreements regarding the fundraiser. And their plans were ready to be set in motion.

"Well that settles it – I'm going down to the Atrium for a coffee. Care to join?" Both Hermione and Draco shook their heads politely as he rose from his chair. "Right then. I'll catch you later."

And with that he was gone, leaving Hermione and Draco on their own. The room was full of silence, bar the awkward shuffling of papers. Hermione did everything in her power to avoid meeting his eyes, nervously rearranging the items on her desk.

"Granger."

Her head shot up at his voice. He felt his manhood twitch again as she nervously nibbled on her lower lip. She was going to be the end of him.

"We need to talk."

He felt a pit forming in his stomach as her cheeks quickly rouged as she merely nodded in response.

"Do you regret it?"

Her bottom lip fell from the grasp of her teeth as she mulled over his question.

"N-no. I don't think so."

Draco couldn't help but chuckle at her hesitant answer. "You don't think so? You either don't or you do."

She tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, a beautiful smile blossoming over her features. "I suppose I don't then. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy it." She paused momentarily before continuing. "Because I most definitely did."

He felt his throat dry at her candour, a light smirk rising to his lips.

"Do you?"

His face broke into a teasing grin as he leant forward in his seat. "On the contrary, I thoroughly enjoyed it."

Her cheeks were now a deep red colour, her chest rising as her breathing deepened. Her papers fluttered to the ground as her hands fumbled. With a little gasp of surprise, she jumped out of her chair and bent forward to pick them up.

His eyes were fixated on her chest as she bent over, the neckline of her dress gaping slightly to reveal inviting enticing black lace of her bra. A deep groan escaped his throat and every rational thought fled his mind.

For the second time in just over a half day, Draco found his body moving towards hers of its own accord. Grabbing her shoulders, he spun her around and pressed her against the desk, his lips crashing against hers within seconds. He was rewarded with a soft moan erupting from her lips.

She shuffled her bum along the desk so that she was perched on the edge, her lips hungrily devouring his. His left hand ran to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling into her soft curls, as his other hand frantically grasped her hip. He let out a guttural groan as she nipped at his lower lip, his arousal growing with each ministration. Her hands desperately clutched at his shirt collar, pulling him as close to her as possible. Her body shuddered as Draco's lips moved to her neck, sucking and nibbling at her creamy skin. His knee nudged between her legs and she willingly parted them, the skirt of her dress rising along her thighs. He pressed himself flush against her, revelling in her light gasp at the contact.

He could feel a delightful warmth emanating from her as she pulled him even closer with her legs. He daringly let his hand fall from her neck, lightly running his fingers over her exposed collarbone. Hermione drew in a slow deep breath, her skin erupting in small goose bumps. His fingers ran down the gentle curve of her breast, tracing the lacy edge of her bra. Her legs tightened, pressing his groin even closer to hers as they both moaned with gratification.

"You're fucking perfect." He whispered against her neck.

Hermione grabbed his head with both hands, pressing her lips against his. She teased his lip with her tongue, shuddering in pleasure as their tongues began a sensual dance. His hands briefly teased her edge of her bra before urgently grasping her breast in his hand.

"Yesss." She hissed, arching her back to press herself into his hand even more.

Draco could feel himself straining against his trousers, crying for attention as her body writhed against his. He needed to stop before there was no going back.

Grasping her lower lip between his lips, he slowly drew away, earning a hum of disappointment from the brunette. Letting his fingers linger over her bare thigh, he rested his forehead against hers. Her eyes had darkened with lust, small puffs of breath teasing his tingling lips.

Hermione stole a glance at his eyes. His eyes had become a stormy grey colour, his arousal evident in the way he stared at her heaving chest.

Oh dear Merlin, what were they doing?

Gently placing her hands flat against his chest, she pushed him away and slid off the desk. Flattening her dress and awkwardly clearing her throat, she moved so that the desk was standing between them.

"Granger…"

"Hermione." She interrupted, busying herself by filing away the mounds of paperwork that sat on her shelf.

"What?"

"Hermione. I'm not okay with you pouncing on me like that and then calling me by my last name."

Draco stared at her blankly, opening and closing his mouth like a fish gasping for air. "Wh-I'm sorry?"

Hermione chuckled at him. "Was that a question or a statement?"

She couldn't help but be amused at the bewildered expression on his face. He was thoroughly confused by her sudden boldness. "A-wh-statement." He flustered his way through his rather pathetic response.

Draco frowned as she smirked at him – a smirk that could have given him a run for his money. 'What the hell is happening?' He wondered, puzzled by her sudden change in demeanour.

Hermione took a deep breath in – after having mulled over their situation through the night, she had come to a steady decision. She was more than okay with whatever was physically happening between them; she was only uncomfortable with the fact that he was nearly a stranger. Sure, they had been acquainted with each other for over ten years, but they didn't really _know_ each other. She didn't even know his favourite colour or middle name – for crying out loud.

"Look Mal-Draco. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not enjoying _this_," She explained, pointing from herself to him and back again. But I don't know anything about you! Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a prude – but I'm not one of those girls you're used to either. I don't mess around with complete strangers."

His eyebrows furrowed together at her words, hands emphatically flinging in the air with his words. "Complete strangers? I've known you since we were twelve!"

"So you think you know me? What are my parent's names? Am I an only child? What is my middle name? When is my birthday?" She retorted, her voice increasing in volume with each question. "Surely you should know _that_ if you've known me for so long! I mean we only lived in the same place for seven years! _When_ is my birthday, Draco?"

He stared at her in silence, his gaze flickering from her expressive hands to her defiant eyes. She was right – he knew absolutely nothing about her. But then again, she didn't know anything about him. Did she?

"Right back at you, _Hermione_." He sneered, crossly folding his arms in front of his chest.

She let out a short bark of laughter, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him. "Your parents are Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy – but everyone knows that. You're obviously an only child. Your middle name is Lucius – very creative, by the way. And your birthday is June 5th. I'm not oblivious to the world around me, unlike you."

"And for bonus points," She added sarcastically. "You rode a Comet 260 in first year and a Nimbus 2001 from then on."

And yet again he gaped at her, completely lost for words. The first few were easy enough, he reasoned, but the brooms he used at school…well he'd never have expected her to know that.

"Well congratulations Hermione. As always, you have all the answers. It does help that I'm from a prominent background – nearly everyone knows those things about me."

Hermione snorted derisively. "And nearly everyone knows those things about _me_ as well. I'm featured on a Chocolate Frog card and I've seen the way you gobble _those_ down when you think no one can see you."

She moved around the desk, placing a soft hand on his shoulder as she started to jostle him towards the door. Opening it, she gave him a light shove so that he was now on the other side of the threshold. "Well if that's all for now, I have a few things to organise."

And with that, her door slammed shut in his face. With a growl of frustration, he grabbed the doorknob and found that it was now locked.

"Granger!" He yelled, harshly knocking on the door.

He heard a light chuckle from inside the room before her voice called out. "Busy!"

He rose his fist to continue his assault on the door, pausing as he noticed the odd stares he was receiving from his coworkers. Flashing a threatening sneer at them, he spun on his heel and stormed into his office, slamming his door behind him.

The first thing he did was wrench his second desk drawer open and rummage through it until he found what he was looking for. Tightly grasping the small card, he slumped into his seat and read over it.

_Hermione Jean Granger_

_DOB: 19 September 1979_

_Awards: Order of Merlin, First Class_

_Hermione Granger was born in Kensington to Muggle dentists, Drs William and Elizabeth Granger. From her first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hermione excelled in her academic work, impressing all of her professors. She soon became friends with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, leading them through the many adventures they experienced at the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. _

_Her bravery, intelligence and immense Magical skill was demonstrated time and time again as she fought against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters. It is widely believed that without her contribution, the Second Wizarding War may have ravaged on for much longer than it did._

_Having read through Hogwarts: A History many times over, she dedicated a great deal of her time to the restoration of Hogwarts after the war. She returned to Hogwarts to complete her final year after the war, achieving an Outstanding grade in all of her 9 subjects._

_Epitomised by grace, determination and loyalty, Hermione Granger is quite easily the greatest witch of her generation._

Apparently she hadn't been lying – everything she had asked was written for all to know on the blasted card. Was he really that oblivious to the world around him? With a resigned chuckle, he admitted to himself that yes, perhaps, he was just _that_ wrapped up in himself. And she had had the gall to let him know just that.

Shaking his head, he reached for his nearby quill, not quite believing what he was about to do.

_Hermione,_

_I'm sorry to say that you were absolutely correct. I know nothing about you, and that is something that I would like to amend. If not for me, it needs to at least be amended for the ball this Sunday._

_Please accept my invitation for dinner tonight at Constellation Restaurant in Clapham – I believe they have private dining rooms. Does 7pm suit you?_

_Draco._

He took in a deep breath before flicking his wand and sending the note to her office. Dear Circe, what was he doing?

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**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Please let me know if the page-breaks didn't work (again!) and if you like the defined timelines. Thank you! **

**And remember, reviews make me happy!**


	5. V

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! I've finished my exams so that is one massive relief. I only have two weeks off though before I'm back at the hospital and studying fulltime AND I'm going away for a few days to visit my greataunt. I will try to update as much as possible!**

**LadiePhoenix007 – I'm glad you're liking the 'heat' between Draco and Hermione. I'm not the best at writing this stuff; for some reason I get awkward haha. But I'll try to keep it up and maybe you can help me!**

**fantasia-49 – thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying their chemistry!**

**Boogalee99 – thanks! I like writing a sort of stoic/stand-off Draco who is a bit hesitant and sweet deep down. **

**Thank you for the feedback. I'm glad you guys like the defined timeline. I'll go back and add them to the other chapters.**

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**Chapter 5**

**Tuesday, April 27 2004 – 6:56pm**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Here she was again – bloody preening in front of the mirror for Draco Malfoy. Clearly pigs had sprouted wings and the world was coming to an end. If anyone had told her she would be going out for dinner with the blonde ex-Slytherin last year, she would have hexed them nine ways to hell. This had to be joke, right?

Wrong.

She had tentatively agreed to spend the evening with Draco at Constellation, an exclusive new restaurant in Wizarding London that was notoriously booked out for the next few months. How Draco Malfoy would get a table, she had no idea – but then again, she was sure that the owners would jump through hoops to accommodate _the_ Draco Malfoy.

She took a step back from the mirror, giving herself a few moments to scrutinise her reflection. She had somehow managed to do a good job with her hair, having piled it in a perfectly messy bun to properly showcase her dress. The black dress had been bought at Ginny's insistence. The well-fitted bodice had a V-shaped neck, both on the front and back, and was intricately embellished with delicate bead-work. The sheer skirt overlay flowed from her waist in a feminine, prom-dress style.

Her outfit was accented with a silver clutch and matching strappy heels. Her elegant diamond-adorned bracelet and matching drop earrings had been a graduation gift from her parents. Her necklace was simple; a delicate silver chain with a tear-shaped diamond pendant. Now, Hermione had never been a materialistic, egotistical woman, but even she had to admit, she looked wonderful. She glanced at the letter on her bedside table, a Portkey that would activate at exactly 7pm.

Seven soft chimes rung from her living room, alerting her to the fact that it was time to leave. Taking a few deep breaths, she quickly made her way to the small table and grasped the paper.

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**Tuesday, April 27 2004 – 7:01pm**

**Constellation Restaurant; Private Dining Room 2**

Hermione felt her feet settle on the plush carpet of their private dining room. And in that moment, her efforts were very well rewarded. Draco was casually seated at the table, his eyes nearly doubled in size as his gaze settled on her. His mouth became dry as he involuntarily gulped at the vision in front of him.

"Wow."

The word slipped out before he could even register what was happening. Her cheeks rouged as she tentatively tucked a stray curl of hair behind her ear, her eyes roaming over the man seated in front of her. He was simply dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up with a delicate grey edging. His hair was almost perfectly tousled, as if he had spent hours in front of the mirror carefully styling it. Oh, he was definitely a handsome man.

Snapping out of his daze, he jumped to his feet and pulled out her chair. 'What a gentleman.' She thought somewhat sarcastically, her mind flicking to their encounters at Hogwarts.

Their waiter promptly appeared, flashing a flirtatious smile in Hermione's direction. Draco glared at the man, clearing his throat as warning to the man to back the hell off his date. 'Whoa. Date? Where did that come from?' He thought, almost shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He ordered an expensive bottle of red wine and a serving of bruschetta for the pair before they went on to order their main meals.

The waiter left the room, leaving the pair in momentary silence.

"I wanted to apologise. You were right in saying I know nothing about you, and you're probably right in saying I didn't notice much outside of myself." He smiled cheekily at her at the end of his sentence, pouring the wine that had appeared on their table. "Please…tell me about yourself, aside from what I can find on a Chocolate Frog card."

Hermione chuckled, taking a sip of her wine, revelling in the aromatic taste. "That's a bit of a broad topic. As you obviously know, I love reading." She stared at him as he snorted at her statement. "No, seriously. Obviously I've read my fair share of textbooks and informative books but my true passion are Muggle crime novels."

His face twisted in confusion. "What are they?"

Hermione cocked her head to a side, smiling at him in amusement. "Crime novels…you know, stories about serial killers, thefts and…well, crime. They're unbelievably fascinating – Muggles have developed the most amazing ways to analyse evidence! I mean, to be able to evaluate a person's fingerprint and DNA, and to be able to narrow that down to one single person…it's just absolutely brilliant! The way that the most apparently insignificant piece of evidence can be the difference between apprehending a criminal and coming to a dead-end. I just think-"

Draco tuned out; her words made no sense to him whatsoever anyway. He had never seen someone talk about something of substance so passionately – he had only ever seen Pansy get thoroughly excited about shopping or some other rubbish. But Hermione – the way her eyes were sparking with excitement and her hands animatedly gestured – was positively mesmerising.

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**Tuesday, April 27 2004 – 9:16pm**

**Constellation Restaurant; Private Dining Room 2**

Hermione sat back in her chair with satisfaction as her now empty dinner plate disappeared from the table. The food had been absolutely divine. And the conversation had been surprisingly free-flowing. She had been surprised to find out that he had somewhat of a truce with none other than George Weasley, having invested a rather hefty sum of money into opening a second branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. That little piece of information had been a pleasant surprise.

The pair had talked about all sorts of things from their hobbies to their most treasured childhood memories (her more so than him) to their 'favourites'. She had giggled uncontrollably when he had revealed his favourite colour to be teal. He had pouted at her reaction, thoroughly discouraged by her amusement. But really, what kind of self-proclaimed manly man referred to anything as _teal_? As far as she knew, Harry had never even heard of the colour.

Draco smiled warmly at her, pouring the remnants of the wine into his glass. "I always wished I had a brother or sister. It would have been nice, you know?" He frowned as her delightful smile vanished. "What is it?" She looked surprised to hear the concern in his voice. If he was being honest, he was rather surprised too.

She let out a slow sigh as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I had a sister." She had said it so softly that he wondered if she had said it at all. But he had definitely heard it.

"What?"

She smiled sadly at him, her eyes suddenly glistening with moisture. "She died when she was only 3." Her arms rested on the table as her fingers toyed with the edge of her napkin.

Draco frowned at the evident grief in her eyes. He leant forward, placing a comforting hand over her fidgeting fingers. "Hermione, it's okay. You don't need to talk about it."

She let out a small sigh. "All my life, I've avoided having to mention it. But if the war taught me only one thing, it was that talking is the best way to deal with grief. And besides, it is something you would most definitely know about me after a year of dating." She reasoned with a meek smile. He nodded in response, giving her the space to continue at her own pace. She took a large gulp of wine to steady her nerves before resting her hand back on the table.

"I was 4 and a half when Calliope was born. As you can tell, my parents always liked unique names." She mused, giving him a weak chuckle. "As soon as she could respond to me, we were inseparable. Despite the age difference, she was my best friend. The first thing I wanted to do when I came home from school was to give her a hug and play. And every single day, she would be waiting for me in the hallway when I arrived. She would always try to copy everything I did – it used to drive me insane, but Mum always said it was only because she wanted to be just like me. Every Sunday afternoon, we'd go to the park with Mum and Dad and feed the ducks. We'd spend hours on the play equipment with the neighbourhood kids before coming home to a home-cooked roast. It was so wonderful, you know?"

Draco simply smiled at her. He didn't know – he had never experienced anything that resembled a normal family – but he could only imagine how wonderful it would have been.

"A few weeks before my 8th birthday, Callie was unwell. At first, she just had a bit of a fever and was tired, but in kids that happens with any form of illness. She started vomiting and after an hour or so, we took her to the hospital. She honestly didn't seem that bad but Mum and Dad just wanted to make sure. And then suddenly, everything went downhill. She started complaining of a sore neck and got more and more drowsy. And then-" She faltered as her voice cracked in anguish. "And then she started fitting. It was so horrible."

He gave her a moment to gather herself, his thumb soothingly tracing circles on the back of her hand. Her pain, the pain of losing someone so innocent and so loved, was clear for anyone to see.

"She was diagnosed with meningitis – it's when the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord become infected. By the time she had started fitting, it was too late. Her brain tissue had swollen as a result of the inflammation and she had irreversible brain damage. She was in hospital for two weeks before the doctors had exhausted all options. She was taken off the machines that were essentially keeping her alive and she passed away later than day. She died 8 days before my birthday."

Her voice had fallen to a desperate whisper as a single tear trickled down her cheek. Draco was at a loss for words, unable to even begin to comprehend the sorrow she felt. She slid her hand out from underneath his, lightly dabbing at the wet trail with her napkin.

"Hermione. I'm so sorry." He uttered. He could only hope that his eyes and voice conveyed the sincerity of his words.

She smiled gratefully at him, taking a slow deep breath to settle her emotions. "Thank you for listening." She whispered, earning a simple nod in reply. "If you'll excuse me, I'm just going to duck off to the bathroom to freshen up a little."

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**Wednesday, April 28****th**** 2004 – 10:13am**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Hermione was curled up on her couch, surrounded by what seemed like mounds of paperwork. The rest of their dinner had passed without incident and Draco had been a perfect dinner companion, having insisted on paying for the meal and accompanying her back home. But the moment he had left, her façade had crumbled. Flashes of memories of Callie had flooded back and she had openly wept. In that moment, she had Owled Phineas to request the morning off.

But as much as she didn't want to admit it, simply talking about Callie for the first time in almost ten years had felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She had revealed everything to Harry, Ron and Ginny in her fifth year and as wonderful as they had been, they had looked at her with such pity. She hadn't wanted their pity, just their understanding, and so she had resolved to never breech the subject with them again. Seeking comfort from her steaming mug of coffee, she turned her attention to the papers that quite literally surrounded her.

Twenty minutes later, her mug of coffee was empty and she was thoroughly engrossed in her work. She was startled from her concentration by the thundering sound of someone knocking on her door.

"Hermione! I know you're in there!"

She cringed at the sound of her ex-boyfriend's voice. Ron sounded enraged. After the stunt he had pulled with Josh, she had taken him off the list of people who could freely Floo into her apartment.

"Hermione! Open the fucking door!" He hollered, fists pounding on her door. She hurried to her door, hoping that he hadn't yet disturbed her neighbours. Throwing the door open, she scowled at the man as he stormed past her into her apartment.

"Hey Ron. Come on in." She muttered sarcastically, reluctantly closing the door behind her. She scolded herself mentally – she had promised Ginny that she'd try to be amiable. "How are you?"

"How am I?! How am I?!" He screeched as Hermione thanked Merlin for the soundproofing charms on her apartment. "What the hell is this?!" He demanded, his hands indicating to her body.

Hermione's face twisted in confusion. "What the hell are you on about, Ronald?" She asked, her hands angrily resting on her hips.

He stalked up to her, standing so close that she could feel his breath puffing against her face. "Never dressed up nice for me, did you Herm?" He hissed, using his individual pet-name for her that she had always hated. "And look at you now – dressing up like a whore and prancing around town."

She pushed him away from her, her face arranged into a stony glare. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

He thrust his hand forward, angrily clutching onto the Daily Prophet. She ripped it out of his hands and let her eyes wander over the short article in question.

_Spotted: War Heroine Dining with Mysterious Lover!_

_Written by Rita Skeeter_

_Imagine my delight, my darlings, when I received this photo last night from a source who did not want to be named. None other than our celebrated Hermione Granger was seen at the notorious hotspot Constellation Restaurant, slipping out of a private dining room on her way to the bathroom. As can be seen in the picture, she was wonderfully dolled up, something which we have hardly seen before. _

_We can only assume that she was dining with a special someone. Hermione had been in a widely-publicised relationship with classmate and close friend, Ronald Weasley, for the better part of three years before their love dwindled for reasons still unknown. _

_But the question remains: who was she with and why the secrecy? Will we ever find out?_

The article was preceded by an image of her walking through the restaurant last night. How had she not noticed the flash? How on earth had Skeeter managed to get the story out in only a few hours?

Ron growled angrily as he snatched the paper back from her. "Are you going to explain yourself?"

Hermione scoffed as threw her hands up indignantly. "Explain myself?! To you? Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because you're mine!" He roared. "Who the fuck is he?"

Her eyes narrowed angrily. "Ronald Weasley, get the hell out of my apartment right now or I will hex you to the moon and back."

In that moment, Hermione was convinced that she would have been dead if looks could kill. He gave her one final glare before stomping out of her apartment and slamming the door behind him.

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**Wednesday, April 28****th**** 2004 – 4:20pm**

**House of Harry and Ginevra Potter**

"Oh Merlin, I am so sorry! I could just kill that idiot!"

Hermione gave her very pregnant friend an exasperated smile. "Gin, how many times do I have to tell you that you're not responsible for what Ron does?"

Ginny sighed as she leant back into the couch. "Yes, well it makes it very difficult when my brother acts like a complete arse!"

Hermione giggled at her friend, expressing her thanks to Harry as he dutifully placed a tray of tea and biscuits in front of them. She had hoped to avoid letting the Potters know about Ron's outburst but he had apparently gone straight to their house after leaving her apartment in a rage. They had instantly known that he would have lost it at her and had Owled her the moment he had left.

"I'm well aware that he's an arse, but it's nothing you should be worrying yourself over. Especially not when you're pregnant."

Harry frowned at his dear friend. She was notorious for playing down a situation, not recognising or at least not admitting when she needed help. "I just don't like it, Mione. We all know what the Weasley temper is like." He flashed a small smile at his wife in response to her huff of indignation. "I just get worried that he'll lost control one day. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

Hermione smiled at him again. "Harry, I can take care of myself. We both know that I'm much more skilled with my Wand than he is. If he does try anything, he's the only one who will come out scathed."

Ginny giggled at her statement as Harry choked on his tea. He spluttered as he settled himself, smiling widely at his friend. "Fine then. I'll leave it for now, but if anything happens I want to be the first to know." He was appeased as she nodded in agreement. "So tell me, who _is_ the lucky man?"

Hermione groaned at his inevitably question. If only she could answer him without having to wait until the ball. If only she could explain the real damned situation to him. She glanced over to the redhead, receiving a knowing grin and wink in response. She inwardly thanked her lucky stars that Ginny had managed to keep her mouth shut thus far. She slowly set her cup on the table in front of her.

"Harry, you'll find out at the ball." He opened his mouth to reply, silenced by her raised hand. "We've talked about it over and over again and we decided that the ball would be the best time – much simpler than telling everyone individually."

He stared at her momentarily, eyes crumpled in confusion. "Mione, what the hell is going on?" He asked, running a hand through his notoriously unruly hair.

Hermione smiled sadly at him. "Harry, please just trust me. You know I don't make decisions lightly. You'll know everything in a few days." A deep pit was forming in her stomach; she absolutely hated keeping secrets from him. They had always been so close, he was like the brother she never had. And yet here she was, deceiving him in perhaps one of the worst ways imaginable – fraternising with the enemy. Draco wasn't exactly his enemy anymore – even Harry had to admit that the man had truly changed from his school days – but it certainly didn't help that he had been the bane of their existence for 7 years.

Harry leant forward, placing an earnest hand over hers. "What are you going to do about Ron? You know he's not going to take it well, whoever the guy is. No matter what, he's going to make a complete scene at the ball."

Hermione grimaced. For some ridiculously stupid reason, she hadn't quite thought of that. But then again, Ron was going to react the same way no matter what; whether it be at the ball or in two years' time, whether it be Draco Malfoy or the bloody Pope.

"Harry, I can't keep living my life by tiptoeing around Ron. We both know that our relationship was not right. We used to argue _all_ the time; we could never get through a single night without screaming at each other. We would never have been happy together and he just needs to understand that and move on! I'm sick and tired of having to deal with his crap! I'm not his – I never was and I never will be! He needs to grow the fuck up!"

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**Wednesday, April 28****th**** 2004 – 5:08pm**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

She dropped her bag onto the couch with a huff, shuffling to the kitchen to pour herself a rather generous glass of Firewhiskey. The rest of her afternoon with the Potters had been dreadfully awkward after her small outburst. If there was one thing that the great Harry Potter and his wife were bad at, it was dealing with an irate Hermione Granger. They had fallen into uncomfortable small talk before Hermione had deftly engaged Ginny by asking about the pregnancy. Sweet Circe, the woman could talk.

Settling into her couch, she took a substantial sip of the amber liquid, revelling in the burning sensation that travelled down her throat. Stifling a small chuckle, she remembered the days when she had absolutely despised that feeling. The stress of having to work with Draco Malfoy had pushed her to the sweet nectar – and now, she absolutely loved it and working with him wasn't quite as horrible as it had been. It was funny how things worked out, how things could change so dramatically in only two years.

A loud rapping at the window broke the silence of her apartment, ripping her from her thoughts. A regal black and silver-grey eagle owl was perched on her window sill, its beady eyes staring irately at her. She opened her window, fussing at the stunning bird.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Have you been waiting for long?"

The owl purred at her attention as she pet its ruffled feathers, taking the small letter from its claw. She fed it a small treat as it cooed in appreciation and took flight, its expansive wings spreading wide. Leaving the window cracked open to let in a light breeze, she settled back into the couch and opened the letter. It was written in elegant script, resonating of aristocracy.

_Hermione,_

_I wanted to let you know that I really did enjoy our dinner last night._

_I couldn't help but notice that you were absent from work today and thought that I'd check in and make sure you are okay. I really appreciate the way that you opened up to me about your sister and I want you to know that I will do everything to keep your confidence. I hope your absence from work wasn't due to anything that happened last night or because of some part of our conversation._

_I hope you are well. Thank you again._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Draco._

Oh Godric, that man was ridiculously well-mannered. A small smile unwillingly rose to her lips as she reread his simple yet heartfelt letter. Draco Malfoy was an incredibly confusing man.

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**A/N: Thank you! Hope you enjoy this, and don't mind Jackass-Ron. Please review! It makes my day!**


	6. VI

**A/N: I was overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter! And I am so so sorry that I haven't updated earlier - things were really overwhelming through exams. And the family ended up going away to see my greataunt who has been unwell for a while.**

**Please forgive me!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Love you all!**

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**Chapter 6**

**Friday, April 30****th**** 2004 – 12:00pm**

**Ministry of Magic; Office of Phineas Goldbloom**

Hermione was not happy. She had just been organising her things and getting ready to head off for a quick lunch when she had been interrupted by Davy Gudgeon. The man had pompously announced that his _dear friend_ Phineas wanted to see her in his office promptly. 'It's not like I've been in my office all morning.' She thought sarcastically. She wouldn't have been surprised if he had been waiting for her to leave her office, just so he could be as inconvenient for her as possible. Both Draco and Hermione had managed to avoid the man since their first meeting only eleven days ago. Merlin, it seemed like a lifetime had passed since that day. She couldn't quite believe how much things had changed.

She stalked over to the office, pausing at the site of her pale boyfriend-to-be. He sent her a small smile, before turning back to their pompous bastard of a boss. What she would have given to slap that smug smile off his face.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Nice of you to join us. Hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

Bloody hell, the man was infuriating. "I was just on my way to lunch…so no, nothing important." She added with a deadpan voice.

"Oh good. I just wanted to see how everything is going. I hope the pair of you have gotten everything sorted and kept everything quiet."

Draco snorted in an undignified manner. "You _do_ know what an Unbreakable Vow is, right? We couldn't tell anyone even if we wanted to or we wouldn't be sitting in front of you."

"Yes, yes. Well? How is it all going? I trust you've adequately prepared yourself? I can't have you messing everything up." He was eyeing them suspiciously, resting his chin on his clasped hands. He stared, raking his eyes over his two subordinates as he analysed them. Something had changed. He wasn't quite sure what – but something had most definitely changed.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously, Phineas? You and I both know that we are two capable adults. We don't need you constantly checking up on us. We both know what is at stake here and we're not going to let you win."

"Now, now Miss Granger. This isn't a competition."

Draco scoffed. "Could have fooled us. We either make this work or you'll throw us out – you said as much the other day. There's no need for your bullshit." He rose from his seat, his eyes set on his boss with a piercing glare. "There's no point to this meeting. Still hungry, _Hermione_?"

Hermione was delighted at the surprise that flashed over Phineas' face. His forehead creased with confusion, apprehension flashing momentarily in his eyes. Apparently the couple were now _friendly_. Oh well; he'd make sure that Sunday evening would be as awkward as possible for the pair.

Rising from her chair, she flashed him a brilliant smile before leaning in to Draco. "Absolutely famished. Are you asking me out for lunch?" She set him a subtle wink as one of her fingers flirtatiously toyed with his shirt.

He returned her smile with a roguish smirk. He lifted his hand and feathered his finger along her jaw. "Most definitely. What do you say?"

Her cheeks flushed involuntarily, her stomach flipping at his teasing touch. "I would love to." She whispered. She took his offered arm and let him lead her out of the office. She spared a glance at the office they were leaving, appeased at the shock that had overcome the man.

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**Friday, April 30****th**** 2004 – 4:52pm**

**Office of Kingsley Shacklebolt**

He rubbed wearily at his forehead as Phineas Goldbloom left his office, closing the door behind him. "Albus, you're going to be the death of me." He muttered, slowly spinning in his chair.

Kingsley could have sworn he saw that damned twinkle in the man's eyes as the portrait smiled down on him, chuckling at his reply. "Nonsense. I'm already dead."

"We both know that either Hermione _or_ Draco are likely to hunt me down themselves when they see I've signed off on Phineas' decision."

The portrait of Albus Dumbledore merely smiled again, his eyes captured in that frustratingly familiar faraway gaze. "Don't worry, Kingsley. I know what I'm doing."

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**Friday, April 30****th**** 2004 – 5:48pm**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

Draco Malfoy was unbelievably confused – he wasn't quite sure what to think at all.

His lunch with Hermione Granger had gone swimmingly – almost _too_ well, in fact. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, it was one of the nicest meal he had shared with a woman, second only to their dinner a few days ago.

This was Hermione Granger, for Merlin's sake. She had been the bane of his existence for seven whole years, that one annoying and ridiculously frustrating thorn in his side. She had driven him insane from his first day on the team. She was the girl with whom he had clashed horns with day after day for as long as he could remember. She had been that stupidly bushy haired, bucktoothed, insufferable know-it-all and he had made every effort to let her know just that. She was the aggravating witch who had slugged him with surprising strength in their third year. She was the damned Gryffindor princess, best friend of the Boy Wonder.

And yet she was this wonderfully intelligent woman who had challenged him more than anyone else in a few days. She was a vibrant and almost incomprehensibly compassionate woman. She was so much more complex than he could have imagined, unlike the women he usually associated with. Her range of emotions were more than he had ever experienced before. She was so innocently naïve, passionately believing in the possibility of changing the world and making it a better place. But then again, she wasn't quite so innocent. She was an exceptionally stunning woman, so beautiful and graceful in everything she did. And sweet Circe, her mere presence was intoxicating – it took all his strength to not pin her against a wall and ravish her.

He refilled his small tumbler of Firewhiskey, running a hand through his untamed hair. How was it that in only eleven days she had intruded all his senses when no other fling or lover had been able to? If he was still a foolish schoolboy, he would have seriously considered the possibility of a love potion or attraction charm.

But he knew better than that now. No – she had been thrust into his life by the conniving, revenge-driven actions of his idiotic boss. This was, for all intents and purposes, just another assignment, another job.

Draco rubbed at his weary eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep since that first night at Hermione's apartment. And when he had managed to fall asleep, his mind was tormented with fairly lascivious thoughts involving the tempting woman. Even just bloody thinking about it made his groin stir.

Throwing back the remnants of his glass, he stood up. He needed a cold shower before bed.

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**Saturday, May 1****st**** 2004 – 10:37am**

**Daydream Fashion, Diagon Alley**

"Ugh! I look so bloody fat!"

Hermione stifled a chuckle at her closest friend's outburst. Ginny had Flooed into her apartment and woken her up in a fluster, rambling on about a dress for the Ball and her 'monstrous stomach'. She had barely managed to convince Ginny to let her shower, at least, before they headed into town.

"Gin, what was wrong with the dress you have?" She could have sworn Ginny had raved on about some royal blue dress she had bought a few weeks ago.

Her friend threw the changer room door open in a huff, the zip-up back of the dress gaping wide open. "Well _apparently_ this damn child keeps bloody growing!"

Hermione laughed loudly at this, earning a dark stare from her friend. "Oh come on, Gin. Please tell me you took into account the fact that babies grow rather fast."

Ginny pouted, her eyes lightly glistening with unshed tears. Hermione inwardly groaned – damn pregnancy hormones. "My calculations were clearly wrong, okay? Are you happy? I'm a bloody _whale_! I'm fat and ugly a-and _stupid_!" She screeched, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm a bloody hippo!"

Letting out a gentle sigh, Hermione stood up from the small settee, carefully embracing her friend. "Oh Gin. You're not any of those things. You are smart, gorgeous and so wonderful. You do realise that Harry _loves_ seeing you carrying his child, right?"

The redhead sniffled despondently. "Really?"

Hermione pulled back, lifting her hands to wipe her friend's tears. "Yes really. He told me himself that he's never found you more attractive than he does now. Too much information for me, thank you very much."

Ginny giggled, rubbing at her eyes as she shook her head. "Well now I just feel stupid." She whispered before taking in a deep breath. "Right. Can you help me find a dress?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, sending her friend an amused smile. "You _do _realise that we are witches…with magic, yes? We could just alter the dress…with magic." She explained slowly.

"Hermione! Are you daft?!" Ginny's eyes were wide with what looked like horror. "You can't just _magic_ it! It just doesn't do justice and it just ruins the material! How could you even suggest something like that?!"

Oh yes – how could she possibly have forgotten that.

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**Saturday, May 1****st**** 2004 – 11:52pm**

**Daydream Fashion, Diagon Alley**

Hermione sighed, her face resting in her hands. It had taken an hour, a whole bloody hour, to find 'the perfect dress' for Ginny. Her stomach growled angrily, reminding her that she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. And her poor bum ached from sitting in the same spot for most of that time. But a small smile graced her lips as her friend gleefully re-emerged from the change room.

"Your turn!"

"Huh?" She let out, sounding about as graceful as she felt.

Her friend giggled as she carefully slung the dress over her forearm. "We need to get you a dress for tomorrow too!"

Hermione had learnt a long time ago that there was no stopping Ginny when she went into shopping fever. With a grimace, she thought back to the last time she had tried. She had been on the receiving end of one of Ginny's notorious Bat-Bogey Hexes. But luckily, she had been prepared for her visit with Pierre nearly two weeks earlier and had specifically requested he find her a dress for the ball.

With a satisfied smile, she slowly stood up from her chair, wincing at the ache in her backside. "I've already got a dress."

Ginny's eyes thinned as if she were trying to read her friend. "I hope you're not lying to me, Hermione Jean Granger." She warned with a stern voice.

"I'm not!" She threw her hands up with exasperation. "I got it two weeks ago when _this_ happened." She replied, using her hands to indicate her new hairstyle and wardrobe.

Relief flooded through her as Ginny gave in with a disappointed sigh and disappeared to pay for her dress. She reappeared moments later. "Now let's get something to eat. I'm bloody starving." They strolled to the Three Broomsticks in a comfortable silence, seating themselves in a quiet corner booth.

"So Mione, tell me more about this mysterious man of yours." Ginny was waggling her eyebrows at her, a cheeky glint in her eyes.

"Gin, I've already told you, I'm keeping my mouth shut until tomorrow. You'll find out everything at the ball."

"Did you want to be more of a buzzkill? Come on! Is he good in the sack?"

Hermione's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. They hadn't gone any further than two steamy snogs – but if they were anything to go by, she could only _imagine_ what he'd be like in bed. Oh dear Godric, even just thinking about it was making her squirm. She spluttered ungracefully before managing to somehow form a complete sentence. "I'm not even going to validate that with an answer."

Ginny smiled knowingly at her. "You don't have to – your face is telling me more than enough. But at least answer me this, good kisser?" Bloody hell, she sounded smug.

Hermione was sure her head was going to explode with embarrassment. "Yes." She whispered harshly, upset that she had let herself get so flustered. She knew Ginny was just trying to get a rise out of her and it had worked. The pregnant woman clapped her hands, a small squeak of excitement erupting form her lips.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so happy for you! It's about time you found yourself a lover after Ron." She gushed, playfully emphasising the word 'lover'.

"Ginevra Potter!" Hermione admonished, her deep blush reaching her ears.

Ginny just shrugged, that maddening smile still spread on her face. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You don't like talking about your private life. I'm honestly just glad. Even if this goes nowhere, you need a little fun."

Hermione's choked on her sip of water, spluttering and coughing, much to Ginny's amusement.

"So tell me. He's clearly gorgeous, judging by the way that you can't keep yourself together and the fact that your face is just about as red as my hair. But does he challenge you? Can you just sit and talk with him? Because Godric knows you could never do that with Ron."

Hermione merely nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes that had come from her choking fit. Ginny's face blossomed into a brilliant smile, as she sat back in her seat, finally satisfied. "Good."

Madam Rosmerta bustled over, placing their lunches in front of them. Ginny almost instantaneously began shovelling food into her mouth, bringing their conversation to an abrupt end. If there was anything Ginny shared with her youngest brother, it was her insatiable appetite and somewhat unappealing table manners.

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**Saturday, May 1****st**** 2004 – 1:28pm**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Hermione yelped in surprise as she Apparated into her apartment. After a rather gruelling morning of shopping, she had planned to enjoy a long soak in her bath with a hefty novel. But her plans were suddenly dashed with the presence of an unmistakable blonde man in her living room.

Oh dear Merlin, why was it so hard for her to get a few hours alone?

"Where the hell have you been?" He demanded, standing up from his spot on her couch.

Ignoring him for a moment, she disappeared into her room to put away her shopping bags before returning. "Excuse me?"

"I said – where the hell were you?! I've been waiting for nearly an hour!"

She crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows. "I was out with Ginny. What's gotten your knickers in a twist?"

"My knickers aren't in a twist." He hissed, rising from his seat to stare down on her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, excuse me. I just thought that you were in my lounge room for something important."

Draco's lips twitched sheepishly before his face twisted into that all-too-familiar sneer. "I got a letter from Goldbloom." She felt her stomach drop and a scowl spread across her face as he thrust the letter towards her.

_Draco,_

_I have given a lot of thought to our deal, if you will. As you are aware, Kingsley will be presenting you with an award acknowledging your efforts under the Reparation Act and you will be expected to give an acceptance speech._

_I expect you to formally announce your relationship with Miss Granger during your speech. After a year of supposedly dating, it would be expected that you would be in __love__ Miss Granger and vice versa. As such, this __will__ be included in your proclamation. I hope you will put a lot of thought into this – it is of the utmost importance if you are to keep your job, after all. If it is anything less than I would expect, there will be grave consequences._

_I have discussed the above with Kingsley and as you can see below, he has authorised my request. Discuss with Miss Granger as you please. This letter will disintegrate after you both have read it._

_Phineas_

The letter ended with the signatures of both Kingsley and that damn bastard.

"He has lost his fucking mind!" Hermione screeched, ineffectively throwing the parchment back at him. It fluttered slowly to the ground, disappearing the instant it touched the ground. "The whole bloody Ministry has gone to the dogs!"

Draco snorted, throwing himself back onto the couch with exasperation. "You're telling me."

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**Sunday, May 2****nd**** 2004 – 6:12pm**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

He was nervously pacing circles into his soft bedroom carpet. Hermione had yelled and cursed over the letter for minutes before they had begrudgingly sat down to compose his speech. It had been awkward and tiring. They had argued and bickered after having ranted and raved. He had left her apartment completely exhausted, dreading the day to come.

And now, he only had a few moments before he picked her up from her home.

Draco paused in front of the mirror, carefully adjusting his perfectly gelled hair. He was wearing an impeccably tailored dark grey suit with the navy blue tie Hermione had suggested he wear to match her gown.

He shuffled on the spot, changing his cufflinks for what had to be the seventh time so far. He was a wreck – in roughly two hours, he could be declaring his supposed love for Hermione Granger in front of what was essentially the whole of Wizarding Britain. Draco moved to his bedside table, pocketing a small black velvet box that held a rather stunning set of diamond drop earrings. He had only thought it appropriate that he gave her something flashy to wear as a present from himself. And if he were being completely honest with himself, her face had popped into his mind the second his eyes fell upon the dazzling set of jewellery.

Taking a few deep breaths to settle his nerves, he Apparated to her apartment. Her living room was empty, save for the small fur ball that was eyeing him suspiciously. What had she called the thing? Ah yes – Cleo. He gave the Kneazle a scratch behind the ears, earning a satisfied purr in response.

"Hermione?" He called out, taking the opportunity to peruse the books that sat on her expansive bookshelves.

He heard her softly clear her throat behind him. He spun around on the spot and as his eyes fell on her, his jaw dropped and heart began to beat rapidly. Hermione was standing in front of him and looked like a pure vision.

She was wearing a floor-length dress with a low-cut V-shaped neckline and one-inch thick straps. The dark navy dress was made from a glamorous sequined fabric and clung to her figure until it reached her hips, at which point it simply flowed to the ground. A daring slit run up the left-side of the dress until it reached just above mid-thigh. Her smooth tanned legs seemed to reach the heavens, adorned by an elegantly simple pair of delicately strappy silver heels.

Her makeup was minimal and natural – a subtle hint of kohl and mascara highlighting her chocolate eyes and a layer of light lipstick shining on her plump lips. Her refined cheekbones were perfectly highlighted with an almost peach-coloured blush. Her hair was pulled back into a messy braid that draped over her right shoulder, small curls of hair spilling around her face.

She timidly nestled her wand into her silver clutch, snapping it shut before meeting his gaze.

Dear Merlin, she was captivating.

"Fuck."

The word whispered out of his lips as he felt his insides twist with lust. A hint of amusement rose to her eyes as her lips twitched into a slight smile and her cheeks lightly flushed.

"You're a goddess."

He took a few tentative steps towards her, reaching out to tuck a few tendrils of hair behind her ear. He let his fingers linger on her cheeks for a moment. His eyes fell on her somewhat underwhelming pair of diamond studs and his mind flashed to the stunning pair of earrings in his pocket. For the first time in hours, he was reassured that he had bought them. Her body lightly shivered under his touch, her eyes momentarily fluttering shut at his gentle caress.

"These are for you." He murmured, pulling the small velvet box out of his pocket.

She slowly reached for the box, her eyes widening as she opened it and saw the exquisite earrings. "Draco, this is too much." She muttered, raising her wide eyes to his.

He simply shook his head and removed her small studs, placing them on the small nearby table. Her blush deepened as she replaced them with his gift. She softly whispered her gratitude, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. Her cheeks flushed brighter as she realised what she had done, a matching rouge adorning Draco's face. She took his offered arm and bid farewell to Cleo.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded her reply and seconds later, they were gone.

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**A/N: Please review! They make me super happy!**


	7. VII

**A/N: Bah! I'm so sorry – I've been really struggling to write. I feel like I've hit a major writer's block! I don't know what it is but I've just really been struggling to write to what I feel is a decent standard. I hope you all forgive me!**

**Thank you to those who reviewed! Despite my apparent inability to write well, your reviews are what drives me and so I will make sure to keep it up as best as I can. They are so very much appreciated!**

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**Chapter 7**

**Sunday, May 2****nd**** 2004 – 6:34pm**

**Ministry of Magic Ballroom**

The vast room was abuzz with excitement, nearly overflowing with Ministry officials and guests. Ostentatious peacock-themed decorations adorned the room; blue and green bouquets standing on each table with gold and purple embellishments hanging on the walls and from the ceilings. It was an interesting combination of the four Hogwarts houses and yet, was somehow tasteful and rather stunning.

Hermione took in a deep breath as people bustled around them, unconsciously shifting closer to Draco's steady frame. He glanced down at her, flashing her a smile.

His nervousness was nearly palpable, his eyes a stormy grey. She was strangely comforted by this, reassured by the fact that she wasn't the only one that was apprehensive about this whole thing.

Everything around them seemed to morph into slow motion. Familiar faces flashed past as light chatter and soft music filled the air. One by one, pairs of eyes widened in recognition as they fell on the unexpected couple. Whispers filled the air as heads whipped towards them and jaws dropped open.

"Kill me now." Draco muttered under his breath, glaring at the people who were quite openly ogling at them.

"As much as I'd love to, maybe later."

He chuckled at her response, raising the eyebrows of those closest to them. Was Draco Malfoy, jackass extraordinaire, laughing at something Hermione Granger, heroine of the Wizarding World, said?

"Mione?!"

She winced at the unmistakable voice that called out from behind them. Steeling herself for what was to come, she spun around on the spot, letting her hand fall from the nook of Draco's arm.

"Hey Gin." She greeted, plastering a wide smile on her face. "How are you?"

Harry was blankly gaping at her with a widely open jaw, confusion and shock flooding his eyes. Whilst Ginny was also slack-jawed, her eyes were gleaming with a strange sparkle and her cheeks lightly flushing with thrill.

"How am I? How are you?!" She hissed with excitement, a large grin spreading across her face.

"I'm good."

Ginny threw her hands up in exasperation. "Stop being so evasive! You're going out with Draco Malfoy?!"

Hermione gave her an innocent look, impassively smiling at her. "What are you on about?"

The pregnant woman huffed in frustration, lightly slapping Hermione on the arm. "Hermione!"

The woman in question laughed lightly, eyes sparkling with amusement as they fell on the still-gaping Harry. She sent him a light smile before turning back to his wife. "Fine. Yes, Gin. I am going out with Draco Malfoy."

That was apparently all it took to shake Harry out of his stupor. "What?!" He choked, his words overshadowed by Ginny's excited squeal.

"Hermione is my girlfriend and I am her boyfriend, Potter." Draco drawled, his voice devoid of its characteristic sneer. "Why so surprised?"

Harry spluttered ungracefully as Ginny gaily clapped her hands together. "Oh my goodness! This is unbelievable!" She threw her arm around Hermione, giving her an awkward embrace around her rounded belly.

Almost as quickly as it happened, she released her before enveloping Draco in an affectionate hug. She pulled back, her eyes glistening with tears. "This is just wonderful! After everything you two have been through together – to be able to find love – it's just amazing!"

It was Hermione's turn to become flustered, as Harry began gasping through his shock. "L-love?" Draco nudged her. "Yes! Yes." She bumbled, finishing with a large smile.

"What?!" Harry's mouth was moving soundlessly as his eyes flashed from Hermione to Draco and back.

With a deep sigh, Hermione placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as Ginny comfortingly rubbed at his back. "Harry. Breathe." She cajoled. "Yes, Draco and I are a couple – we have been for a year. And yes, we are in love. I didn't say anything before because at first we wanted to make sure that this-" she pointed between Draco and herself. "-was something real. And then, we just wanted to wait until the right time. We felt that tonight would just make everything easier. I'm sorry that I kept this a secret and sprung it on you both. I really am – please just try to understand."

Ginny smiled encouragingly as Harry's spluttering receded and he began to slowly nod. "Okay." He murmured, the thoughts in his head running a mile a minute. "I…I get it. I do. But just…let me get my head around it, yeah?"

Hermione wrapped him in a firm embrace, whispering her thanks into his ear. She pulled away from him, noting with amusement as Ginny excitedly babbled something or rather about double dates, much to Draco's horror.

"Slow down, Gin." She chuckled. "Give Draco a few minutes before you go nuts."

Ginny had the decency to blush as she mumbled a rather insincere apology. Draco scoffed at her laughable attempt, earning a sharp elbow from his 'significant other'. The trio fell into a comfortable chatter as Harry was slowly pulled into the conversation.

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**Sunday, May 2****nd**** 2004 – 7:02pm**

**Ministry of Magic Ballroom**

After what had been a surprisingly pleasant conversation, Draco steered Hermione to where Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass were watching them with interest. His face broke into a genuinely friendly smile as they approached the couple, greeting Blaise with a firm handshake and Daphne with a one-armed hug.

"Hello Draco." She greeted stiffly, curiously eyeing Hermione's hand that was once again nestled on his left arm.

"Blaise, Daphne. You remember Hermione, yes?"

Blaise let out a derisive scoff. "You think we'd forget _the_ Hermione Granger?" He mocked before turning to Hermione and greeting her with a surprisingly warm smile. "Hey Granger. How'd Draco manage to catch you?"

She choked on the swig of wine she had just sipped. "What?" She hissed as she tried to clear her throat. She nearly jumped as Draco lightly rubbed the middle of her back. The oddly comforting action had taken her by complete surprise.

Blaise flashed her a charming grin. "Well, let's face it. Draco is…well, he's Draco. Nothing special really. But _you_ are Hermione Granger, bachelorette of the Wizarding World. You're incredibly intelligent and hardworking as the whole of Hogwarts knew. You're pretty damn witty, dedicated and feisty. And let's face it – you're downright bloody gorgeous."

He finished his spiel with a teasing drawl as he placed a hand on Hermione's arm. Her eyes widened at his touch as Daphne merely rolled her eyes – she was more than used to this side of him and she knew that he would never truly act on it.

Draco, on the other hand, was most definitely not pleased. He let out an involuntary growl at the action, wrapping a protective arm around her waist. "Blaise." He snarled, eyes flashing with displeasure. "Watch it."

She felt a wave of excitement run through her body at his protective tone and stance. It wasn't that same distrustful jealousy that had consumed Ron and destroyed the remnants of their friendship that had been left after their breakup. He had become suspicious of every man she ever spoke to, filled with rage at what he saw as disrespectful and promiscuous behaviour.

But the way Draco grasped her and stared warningly at his friend was ever so enticing.

Something about the way he was holding her as if she were the most precious gem he had ever seen was incomprehensibly sensual – the way he held her flush against his body, the way his fingers dug ever so lightly into the flesh over her hipbone, the way his eyes flashed with greed as if all he wanted to do was to completely consume her.

She shuddered as she felt a lustful heat pool at the bottom of her abdomen, the room becoming warmer than before. Hermione lent her body against his for support as her legs became increasingly weak under her.

Blaise let out an amused chuckle. "Relax, Drake. I was just testing you. Apparently you really are head over heels about this woman." He observed, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Draco felt his face rouge at his words. "Wh-Shut up Blaise."

Daphne tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder with a laugh, flicking her eyes between the pair. "Oh we've suspected it for a long, long time Draco. Probably since she slugged you in third year."

His jaw dropped wide open as Hermione yet again spluttered, this time after inhaling her own saliva. "What?!" She gasped between coughs.

The stunning woman laughed gaily, sharing a warm smile with her. "Oh he didn't tell you?" Her smile widened at Hermione's flabbergasted expression. "It was always Granger this, Granger that – Granger's got bushy hair, Granger's so annoying, Granger beat me in _everything _again. He never shut up about you. Though he wasn't quite aware of it, we knew he was infatuated with you."

Draco was blankly gaping at her, his mouth aimlessly opening and closing as his cheeks steadily flushed. He turned silently to Hermione, his stomach flipping at the gleeful sparkle that rose in her eyes. She fidgeted on the spot as little contented butterflies erupted inside of her.

A thousand thoughts ran through her head in the split second before he flashed her a brilliant smile that took her breath away. "I can't help that she's bloody perfect, can I?" He asked, turning to face his friends. Hermione tried to suppress the elation those words sent through her.

'He is just acting to keep up appearances', she reminded herself. 'He doesn't _really_ believe that'.

Daphne met his smile with a large grin before rushing forward and embracing the pair together. "Oh I'm so happy for you!" He caught Blaise's eye over her shoulder, stifling a smile as he rolled his eyes at his fiancée.

"Well isn't this an interesting reunion." The snarling voice was accompanied by a face twisted by a dreadful smirk. Standing before them was the familiar dark hair and piercing blue eyes that had goaded and provoked Hermione for years.

The group quickly turned in the direction of the snarling voice and were met by a face twisted by a dreadful smirk.

"Pansy." Draco greeted stiffly as Hermione shifted uncomfortably beside him.

She was just as pompous and extravagant as she had been at Hogwarts, if not more so. Hermione wasn't ignorant – Pansy wasn't _horrible _to look at, she did have an attractive body and she was fairly fashionable…not that she could talk. But her overall aura – Merlin, she sounded like Luna – was unbearable.

"I see you've been sullying yourself with filth." Her perfectly-shaped eyebrow rose, eyeing Hermione with a mixture of surprise and disdain. "I must say, you don't look quite as horrible as I would expect…for a Mudblood."

Draco snarled angrily, his eyes darkening with anger. He took a threatening step forward, stopped only by Hermione's firm hold on his arm. His eyes softened momentarily as he gazed down at her dainty hand.

"Draco – don't. She's not worth it."

Pansy scowled at her words. "Please." She sneered. "You're sadly mistaken Granger - the only thing here that isn't worthy of anything is _you_…you don't belong in our world."

"Shut it, Pansy." Blaise warned, his face carefully devoid of any emotion. "We don't need you spouting that bullshit…especially not tonight."

She carefully observed the group, her eyes narrowing indignantly.

"Fine. You are lucky you have your lackeys here, Granger." She hissed, spinning on her heel and storming away from the group, her head arrogantly held high. Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, smiling gratefully at the two men beside her before taking a hefty sip from her glass.

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**Sunday, May 2****nd**** 2004 – 7:19pm**

**Ministry of Magic Ballroom**

Ginny groaned under her breath as an all-too-familiar head of red hair made a beeline towards them. "Oh bloody hell." She whispered, sparing a meaningful glance at her husband who was happily chatting with Seamus.

"Hey guys!" Ron greeted, his face splitting into a wide smile.

Her eyebrows immediately shot up behind her bangs. He was far too happy. "Hey…" She replied cautiously. "What's gotten you all excited?"

He let out a little chuckle, his blue eyes shining with amusement. "I'm pretty certain that Neville's already smashed. You should have heard the crap he was spouting! He's somehow convinced that Hermione is here with Malfoy!" He spat the last word with disgust, as if it were venom on his tongue. "I mean – come on!"

He erupted into a laughter, as if he had just said something hilarious. His mirth slowly petered out as he took in the anxiety on the three faces in front of him, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What?"

Ginny rolled her eyes as Harry and Seamus both shuffled awkwardly on the spot. She huffed with a twinge of frustration. "She is."

His eyes twisted in confusion. "She is _what_?"

"She _is_ here with Malfoy."

A few moments of peace elapsed before a deep rouge coloured his cheeks. "WHAT?!"

His surprised yell drew the attention of the attendees around the group. "This is a bloody joke, right? Tell me you're joking." His voice had dropped to a dangerously low hiss.

He threateningly stepped forward, looming over his sister. Harry angrily narrowed his eyes, stepping between the two. "Ron…"

"What, Harry?" His voice was laced with rage.

"Calm down."

"I said…tell me you are joking." His eyes had darkened with fury.

"We're not. They are a couple. Do _not_ overreact."

A heavy silence fell between the four ex-Gryffindors, silence ringing in their ears momentarily before it was broken.

"Where the _fuck_ is she?!"

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**Sunday, May 2****nd**** 2004 – 7:31pm**

**Ministry of Magic Ballroom**

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I trust you are all enjoying yourself today."

Kingsley had stepped behind a podium on the stage, his pearly whites displayed by a wide smile. He stood regally, commanding the attention of every person in the room.

"Tonight is a bittersweet evening – not only are we celebrating the end of a vicious war, but we grieve for those that we lost. Every single person in this room lost someone; whether it be a parent, a sibling, a child or a friend. But what we must consider is that those we lost, they gave their lives for our freedom and wellbeing. I wish you all to have an enjoyable evening as we remember what we have lost and celebrate what we have gained."

The Minister paused momentarily, a minute of silence filling the room.

"As we mark the fifth anniversary of a night that changed the outcome of our world forever, I have the pleasure of introducing a new accolade to our community. The Good Will Award will be presented every five years to a witch or wizard in recognition of the hard work and effort they have dedicated to the British Wizarding World."

A pregnant pause hung around the room as Justin shuffled forward, handing Kingsley a rather flashy gold award. He took his place back behind the podium, recasting a charm on himself to amplify his voice.

"Despite past transgressions, this member of our community has shown the utmost dedication and passion in re-establishing our name in the international eye. This person has shown incredible determination in changing the public opinion of our Wizarding world and has tirelessly worked in breakdown ancient barriers that persisted within us until only a few years ago."

Kingsley took a deep breath before a hesitant, awkward smile rose to his face.

"In addition to this, the recipient of this award has demonstrated the eradication of primeval values in the private aspects of his life. Without further ado, the recipient of this prestigious award is Draco Lucius Malfoy."

Draco's stomach churned nervously at his closing words. He had been warned that he would be receiving this award and would be expected to present his speech – his declaration of love for Hermione.

Steady applause mixed with a few cries of support flooded the room. Pasting a wide smile on his face, he made his way up the stage to where the Minister was expecting him. Handing him the small golden statuette, Kingsley stepped back with an encouraging nod.

"Thank you, Minister Shacklebolt, for this incredible honour." He began, glancing nervously into the crowd. Hermione's face seemed to stand out amongst the other revellers, like a beautifully perfect beacon of light. A reassuring smile spread across her face, her eyes the only evidence of her uneasiness.

Steeling himself for the disbelief that was sure to come, he opened his mouth to speak. Hermione felt her heart pounding as her eyes met Draco's.

He cleared his throat, a nervous smile flashing over his lips. She couldn't help but think of how attractive that look was on him.

"I really don't think that I am deserving of this privilege." He chuckled anxiously. "I'm sure many of you think the exact same. Even though I have made many mistakes in the past, I will be eternally grateful for Minister Shacklebolt for giving me the past five years to try to atone for my sins."

He turned slightly to face the dark-skinned man. "Kingsley, over the past five years, you have showed me more grace and compassion that I could have ever expected in a lifetime; you have been my mentor. Thank you for believing in me and for helping me become the person I never thought I could be."

Hermione felt her eyes prickle at his words as Kingsley nodded proudly at the man.

"Despite all my faults, I can safely say that I would not change a thing – because it has all led me to this point in my life. It had given me the chance to prove myself and to show both myself and all of you that I am more than my family's reputation. But most of all, everything thing I have ever done and experienced has brought a remarkable woman in my life."

She shuffled nervously on her feet as Draco's eyes flickered to her. He took a deep breath as his eyes lingered on hers.

"This woman is unlike anyone I could have ever imagined. She has filled my life with so much warmth and passion…and I can honestly say that she has changed my life, changed me, for the better. She is stunningly beautiful, graceful and demure. She is overwhelmingly intelligent and witty. She honestly gives me a run for my money."

A light chuckle ran through the crowd as they hung onto his every word.

"I have been unbelievably blessed to have her in my life. I'm not quite sure what I've done to deserve her – sometimes I think that I really don't – but she has truly made my world so much better by just being in it."

A few women in the crowd were clutching their hands over their chest adoringly whilst others whispered jealously to each other. Who was this woman who had Draco Malfoy so enthralled?

"Without further ado, I would like to invite her to join me." His stormy grey eyes locked with hers. "Hermione?"

An almost synchronous gasp rang out before ripples of whispers raced around them. Hermione blushed anxiously as she made her way to where Draco was standing. He wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side. She almost fanned herself as she felt her body heat up at the intimate gesture, timidly nibbling on her lower lip.

He turned ever so slightly so that his body was facing hers, his eyes darkening as they gazed over her flushed cheeks and bitten lip.

"Hermione." He spoke again, his voice almost noticeably huskier with her at his side. "You are more than I could have ever imagined. Every moment I am with you, I have feelings that I have never felt before in my entire life, feelings that I never thought existed." He swallowed heavily, shaken by the honesty behind his last sentence.

"You have made me feel more fulfilled than I ever thought possible. You are the answer to my every hope and prayer." She felt her cheeks rouge under his intense gaze as the crowd around them listened with bated breath. "Hermione Jean Granger, I love you."

A gasp ran out through the audience as Hermione felt her legs buckle at his words. She had known this was coming – so why were her body and mind swooning at his words?

Draco looked at her expectedly, a nervous smile wavering on his lips. "I love you too, Draco."

His face broke out into a handsomely dazzling smile, his eyes fluttered to her lips and back. And in an instance, he captured her lips in his own.

Her body flared as though it had been lit on fire. His lips moved gently against hers – it was unlike their previous caresses. Whereas they had previously been desperate and hungry, he was kissing her so tenderly that she wasn't sure she would be able to hold her body up any longer.

His arm pulled her closer against his body so that they were flush against each other as he ran his tongue over her bottom lip. She let him deepen the kiss as her arms involuntarily ran up his torso to link around his neck.

Oh sweet Circe, she could do this forever. To her internal horror, a greedy moan erupted from her throat.

"SEGMENTUM DIUTURNUS!"

"PROTEGO!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

"INCARCEROUS!"

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**A/N: I was struggling to find a good place to end this chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading this and please review – they drive me to keep going!**


	8. VIII

**A/N: I forgot to explain a little something in my last chapter so I'll put it here. 'Segmentum Diuturnus' is a spell I made up that translates to 'lasting slice'. In my head, it's somewhat like the Sectumsempra spell but is irreversible or at least leaves permanent damage. **

**Thank you to those who reviewed – your response to the last chapter was awesome! I absolutely loved it and it definitely made my day! Love you all!**

**I do have a bit of news – and explanation for why I've been so slack lately – but I'll put that at the end so you can get on to the story!**

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**Chapter 8**

**Sunday, May 2****nd**** 2004 – 8:07pm**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

Hermione winced as yet another crash resounded from Draco's kitchen, accompanied by a few choice swear words. He had been angrily pacing and destroying his dinnerware since they had landed in his apartment nearly ten minutes ago.

"Fucking prick." CRASH. "Who does he bloody well think he is?!" CRASH. "Piece of shit dickhead." CRASH.

This was going too far.

Rising slowly from the armchair she was seated in, she pushed open the door to the kitchen. She involuntarily let out a surprised squeak as a mug narrowly missed her head on its journey to the wall behind her. CRASH.

"Hermione! What the hell?!"

Draco was staring at her with surprise, seemingly having forgotten that he had brought her home with him. She recovered her from her momentary startle, turning on the blonde man with a stern glare.

"Would you calm down already? You're acting like a complete buffoon!"

He returned her glare angrily. "Well, excuse me. I'll remember to stay calm next time someone tries to bloody _kill_ me."

She supposed he had a good point. "He wasn't going to kill you." She retorted weakly.

He didn't say a word, merely arching an eyebrow in her direction.

Their night had ended in a complete disaster. Granted, they had become a little carried away with their public display of affection but that was really no reason to be attacked. Then again, she didn't really expect much else from her impetuous ex.

Ron had erupted at the sight of Draco and Hermione entwined on stage, throwing a particularly nasty Slicing Hex at the ex-Slytherin. They were, quite frankly, lucky that George and Harry had managed to gather their wits and prevent any permanent damage.

The ensuing few minutes had been chaotic as Aurors had descended and towed the enraged wizard away. Kingsley had looked completely flabbergasted, mumbling his apologies to the couple before disappearing with Harry to sort out the whole mess.

And Phineas…well, he had looked downright pleased with himself.

"I'm sorry." Hermione murmured, wearily leaning against the kitchen counter.

Draco's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "What?"

"I said I'm sorry. I should have re-"

"No." He cut her off. "It wasn't your fault. It _isn't_ your fault that Weasley turned out to be just as barmy as I always thought."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose not."

Hermione's body tensed as he stepped forward with a sigh, reaching his hand out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. Her body shivered involuntarily as his skin grazed her cheek. "Well, anyway…welcome to my humble abode."

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**Sunday, May 2****nd**** 2004 – 10:27pm**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

As she tossed her coat onto her couch, Hermione swiftly kicked off her shoes. She was truly flabbergasted – Draco Malfoy was nothing short of a mystery.

His apartment had been surprisingly low-key and yet had held a certain air of class that she had come to expect from him. But Hermione had been absolutely _floored_ when she left his apartment. Draco Lucius Malfoy's apartment was located in the midst of Muggle London.

She paused momentarily to let that thought flit through her mind again. Dear Merlin, Draco Malfoy lived _within_ Muggle London.

She had nearly burst out laughing when she had stepped out of his place and onto the street. And now…well now, she was close to having a conniption – she wasn't quite sure how to relate this man with the insolent boy she had grown up knowing.

The rest of their evening had passed relatively delightfully, especially when considering how the annual ball had ended. The conversation between them was surprisingly free-flowing and wonderfully pleasant. It was something she had never quite shared with a man before – that ease and comfort.

And to think it was that foul ex-Slytherin that she shared it with.

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_**Explosive End to Annual Ball**_

_**Monday, May 3**__**rd**__** 2004**_

_If you weren't present at the Liberty Ball last night, you missed out on the spectacle of a lifetime. But you are in lucky, my dears – I am here to give you all the juicy details._

_The evening began with its usual formalities and was travelling without incident – and by that, my friends, I mean it was a fair bore. And then our esteemed Minister declared none other than Draco Malfoy the most altruistic member of our community._

_If that wasn't enough to cause a little commotion, Malfoy took to the stage to deliver his acceptance speech. The bulk of it wasn't quite interesting enough for me to repeat…that is, until the notorious bachelor uttered these next few words: "everything I have ever done and experienced has brought a remarkable woman into my life"._

_Apparently our gorgeous bachelor is bachelor no more. Now if those words weren't enough to make you swoon and burn with jealousy at the same time, the rest of his speech will completely floor you._

_Malfoy continued to fawn over his mysterious woman, expressing his devotion and admiration for this lucky woman. And then if this all weren't enough, he invited his significant other onto the stage – Hermione Jean Granger._

_Yes, my dears, that's right. Draco Malfoy announced our delightful ex-Gryffindor princess as his secret girlfriend. I nearly fell out of my seat that that point but don't you worry, darlings, I managed to keep my composure._

_And if none of us were convinced that they were truly a couple, they were certainly a convincing act. If you don't believe me, take a squiz at the photograph above. The stunning couple couldn't keep their eyes, and hands, off each other. I was certain I was about to pass out from the heatwaves emanating from the couple. There is clearly no lack of passion between them._

_The entire room hung to his words as he declared his admiration for our beloved war heroine before he said the six words we had all been waiting for – "Hermione Jean Granger, I love you."_

_YES, THAT IS RIGHT! Malfoy declared his love for Hermione Granger for the entire British Wizarding World to see and hear! I could have died on the spot._

_And if the room weren't already hyperventilating with excitement, she whispered the sentiment right back to him._

_The hunky blonde pulled her into him with her words and planted a sweltering kiss on her lips! And trust me, my loves, it was nothing but steamy. The whole room were basically falling apart at the britches when the unexpected, or not so unexpected, happened._

_And it happened in the form of Ronald Weasley._

_The notoriously short-tempered man lived up to his reputation with a particularly nasty curse. And the night would have ended in a rather bloody mess, quite literally, if it hadn't been for the brisk reflexes of our much loved Harry Potter and George Weasley. _

_We unfortunately don't have any idea of what happened after the irate wizard was incapacitated and bustled away by Aurors. Rumour has it that he is currently being held at the Ministry until the couple of the hour has decided if they will press charges or not._

_Keep your ears and eyes peeled out for any new gossip regarding this couple. And if you find yourself lacking the excitement of this stunning duo, please feel free to peruse the photos on the next few pages._

_Parvati Patil_

**Monday, May 3****rd**** 2004 – 8:23am**

**Ministry of Magic Atrium**

She held herself tall as she made her way through the throng of people in the vast atrium. She could hear her name murmured amongst the fierce whispers, though it wasn't exactly unexpected after the fiasco that had come in the form of Ronald Weasley.

Come to think of it, she wasn't really sure what had happened to him after Harry and George had jumped to action and Draco had whisked her away.

"Hermione!"

She spun on her heel to see a blur of red making its way towards her.

"Ginny?" What on earth was she doing here? She was supposed to be at training. But then again, she shouldn't really be surprised after everything that had happened last night.

"What? You didn't think I'd come after the crap my idiot brother pulled yesterday?" An annoyed frown was etched on her face as she appeared in front of Hermione with her hands resting on her hips. "Come with me."

Ginny grabbed her hand, dragging her into the lift and then through the halls to her office. She noticed a certain blonde chatting with Mitchell by his office door. He sent her a fleeting, slightly confused smile as she caught his eye before her office door flew shut.

"Enough with the googly eyes, Mione. Honestly, are you okay?"

Hermione had to think for a moment before registering what Ginny was talking about. "Huh? Oh! Yes." Ginny raised an eyebrow at her, leaning against the nearby overflowing bookcase. "Really, Gin, I'm completely fine – just extremely curious."

The redheaded girl snorted inelegantly. "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. Mum is furious with Ron and a little upset with you, Dad is stressing because he's sure Kingsley wants to make an example of Ron, and we're all absolutely confused by George."

Hermione had to consciously stifle a giggle. "Confused by George?"

"Well no one exactly expected him to jump to Malfoy's defence. _Apparently _he and Malfoy are old chums."

She nearly choked on her own saliva at those words. "_What_?!"

A gentle knock stopped Ginny before she could say anything. "Hermione?" Draco's voice called out.

Hermione quickly turned and opened the door. She felt her cheeks heat up as his eyes roamed over her – it seemed as though he appreciated the extra effort she had put in this morning. "Morning." He almost whispered, stepping forward and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek as his arm found its way around her hip.

She could almost feel Ginny's amused stare piercing through her as she responded with a mumbled greeting. He pulled her into his side protectively. "Good morning Ginny. Is everything okay?"

Ginny's face split into a small grin. "Yeah, of course. I was just telling Mione here that we were kind of surprised to find out that you and George are pretty friendly."

Draco merely shrugged, earning a pointed look from both of the women in the room. "What? I know a good investment when I see one, and I saw one in his shop so I helped fund his Paris branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He realised that I wasn't quite as bad as you lot thought I was."

"What?!" Hermione would later swear that Ginny's eyes were about to pop out of her head. "I bugged him about how he afforded to expand the business for _ages_ and he refused to tell me!"

Draco chuckled as Ginny glared at him. "I told him it was up to him to decide if he wanted to tell you family or not. Can you blame him though – what, with your brother's temper?"

Hermione snorted ungracefully whilst Ginny scoffed. "Well that's a bit of an understatement. Speaking of my brother, have you made a decision as to what you're going to do?"

Draco played with his tie, pausing for a moment before speaking. "We're not going to do anything. We expected him to lose his cool a little – it's one of the reasons we waited for so long before announcing our relationship. I've already signed the necessary papers."

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**Monday, May 3****rd**** 2004 – 8:57am**

**Office of Hermione Granger**

Ginny flashed them a smile as she made her way out of the door and disappeared into the hallway. Draco leaned against the side of the desk beside Hermione. "Are you okay?"

She chuckled lightly as she glanced up at him. "As well as I can be." She muttered. "It's only been a few weeks and it's already stupidly complicated."

"Well, the Weasel is pretty stupid." He was rewarded with a light giggle as she nudged him with her elbow.

"Be nice, Draco."

"I think that whole playing-nice thing went out the window when he tried hexing me."

Hermione stiffened as he shuffled against the desk, his arm brushing against hers. It baffled her how such a simple touch could drive her insane. She could have sworn he could hear her pulse racing from where he stood.

He misinterpreted her tension. "Hey, I'm just kidding. You do know you're not at fault."

She let out a lengthy sigh. "I know. I'm still sorry. He _did_ try to kill us."

"Me."

"Hm?" Hermione asked, absently playing with a loose piece of thread from the hem of her shirt. Hermione glanced up again, blinking with surprise at the intensity of his stare. She froze as his hand lightly grazed her arm, goosebumps erupting over her skin.

A smile rose to his lips for a fleeting second as his other hand lifted up to cup her chin. What the hell was he doing?

He let his body rock forward, smirking as her eyes fluttered closed. She could feel his warm puffs of breath glancing her lips. 'Oh dear Merlin, he is going to be the death of me'. The thought flashed into her mind before it went blank as his lips met hers.

He received a contented sign in response as his lips moved against hers, his tongue flicking out and sampling the light layer of gloss she wore before slowly pulling away.

Hermione had to stop herself from grunting in displeasure at the loss of contact.

"Hermione…" He murmured, his face a mere millimetres away from hers.

"Hm?"

"Is that going to keep happening?"

Her voice was inexplicably hoarse. "Hm?"Apparently she was going to repeat herself like a mute idiot.

"Is he going to lose his shit whenever I kiss you?"

Her stomach erupted into butterflies and she could have sworn she could _hear_ her own heartbeat. "I don't know. I hope not." She whispered.

He stepped even closer, his body now flush against hers as he pressed her against the counter.

"Good. Because I plan on doing it a lot."

* * *

**A/N: **'**Depulsio' is Latin for repelling – I intended it to be a defensive charm, sort of like a barrier.**

**I've been extremely busy lately. I am doing a paediatric oncology term and as usual am expected to be at the hospital at least 35hrs a week and do a mammoth load of study at the end of each day. And I've somehow gotten myself involved in **_**two**_** audits with separate teams which involves a ridiculous amount of data collection and analysis.**

**And now for my news – my boyfriend proposed! So ridiculously excited! I may be a little extra busy with wedding planning (Ahh! I can't believe it!) but I promise to keep updating as much as possible!**


	9. IX

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who reviewed my last chapter! I know I say this all the time but it DOES make my day – and it definitely makes me want to keep updating as much as possible.**

**CGinny: Thank you! I wish I could give you Draco Malfoy but he's not mine to give away! Thank you for being understanding and for reviewing!**

**LadiePhoenix007: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter – I felt like I really struggled writing it. And thank you for your faithful reviewing – it really does make me want to write more!**

**Jen7: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter ;)**

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_Last Chapter_

"_Is he going to lose his shit whenever I kiss you?"_

_Her stomach erupted into butterflies and she could have sworn she could hear her own heartbeat. "I don't know. I hope not." She whispered._

_He stepped even closer, his body now flush against hers as he pressed her against the counter._

"_Good. Because I plan on doing it a lot."_

**Chapter 9**

**Monday, May 3****rd**** 2004 – 9:03am**

**Office of Hermione Granger**

Hermione had barely enough time to register what Draco had said before he abruptly turned on his heel and disappeared from her office. She let the desk behind her take the weight of her body as her mind swarmed with confusion.

What the hell did _that_ mean? He was planning to kiss her a lot? She sure hoped so…or not…Merlin, she didn't know _what_ she wanted!

If she was being completely honest with herself, she couldn't deny that she enjoyed his caresses. In fact, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about every kiss they had shared. But that didn't necessarily mean it was a good thing, did it?

She huffed in frustration, plonking herself into her desk chair. She _really_ needed to stop thinking about this or she wasn't going to get any work done – and then, Phineas would have reason to get rid of her.

No, she needed to focus on her paperwork, the upcoming meetings, her scheduled appointments with various departmental representatives, their pending petitions – hell, _anything_ but Draco bloody Malfoy.

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**Monday, May 3****rd**** 2004 – 9:05am**

**Office of Draco Malfoy**

His heart hammering against his chest, Draco shut his office door behind him and slowly exhaled. He couldn't say for certain what had overcome him and pushed him to say what he did – all he knew was that she had looked utterly delectable leaning against that desk of hers.

He had caught a fleeting glimpse of her as Ginny dragged her into her office, and that alone was enough to send his pulse racing. The neckline of her white button-up blouse dipped low enough to show a subtle hint of cleavage. Her royal blue skirt clung to every curve of her body, almost calling out to him.

Draco couldn't have excused himself from Mitchell fast enough. If it hadn't been for Ginny's presence in the office, who knows what he would have done?

He hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her as she chatted to Ginny, the light sheen on her lips screaming for his attention. And sweet Circe, had he been rewarded when they had been left alone.

He wasn't sure where this put them now – if she kept looking like that, he was sure he couldn't be blamed for his actions.

He slumped behind his desk, mulling over the events of the prior few weeks. He had to admit, she was the first woman that had ever truly challenged him. His liaisons in the past had always been based on physical attraction alone but with Hermione, there was something almost visceral between them.

He was almost drawn to her; he wanted to know her in every bloody sense of the word. He was sure Blaise and Theo would piss themselves laughing if they ever knew, but he would give anything to simply spend all day and night simply _talking_ with the damned woman. He wanted to be a part of every aspect of her life, every aspect of her being.

For the love of Merlin, what was wrong with him?

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**Thursday, May 6****th**** 2004 – 4:33pm**

**Office of Hermione Granger**

Hermione leant forward on her desk, propping her head up with her palm. She had long tuned out of Mitchell's ramblings over the upcoming fundraiser, caught up in her musings over a certain blonde wizard.

She had no clue what had come over Draco – he was avoiding her like the damned plague ever since he had left her office on Monday morning. She had no idea what to think, _especially_ after he had implied that he wanted to keep kissing her!

On the chances they seen each other in the corridors, he mumbled a few passing words to her before disappearing into his office or down the hallway. He had been avoiding any chance of eye contact with her during meetings and whenever she had tried to start a conversation with him, he had excused himself with some reason or another.

What the bloody hell was going on? Her eyebrows furrowed as she mulled over his odd behaviour, absently tapping her finger on the desk in front of her.

"Hermione!" She snapped out of her thoughts, blushing at the annoyed expression on Mitchell's face. "I said, _sorry_ if I'm boring you!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, confused by her out-of-character disinterest.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind." She sighed, leaning back into her chair. "Do you think we can continue this another time?"

It was Mitchell's turn to let out a sigh. And she couldn't blame him – she knew they were already behind on the planning. He got up from his chair, flashing her a tired smile. "Yeah, sure."

Hermione frowned after his retreating back, running a hand through her hair. This whole nonsense was affecting her work, something that was completely unacceptable to her, and that was precisely what Phineas was counting on.

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_**Trouble in Paradise?**_

_**Friday, May 7**__**th**__** 2004**_

_Hello, my darlings! _

_I hope you've had a relaxing week to recuperate from the shock that was our annual Liberty Ball. And if you feel as though you're a little __too__ relaxed from it all, I may just have enough juicy gossip to set your tongues wagging again!_

_It seems as though there is already trouble in paradise for our two famous lovebirds, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, according to my sources – and trust me dears, my sources are quite reliable._

_Ever since the wonderfully dramatic proclamation of their relationship, it seems as though the pair have been travelling on rocky ground. Despite their apparent adoration for each other on Sunday night, they have barely spoken to each other whilst in the Ministry where they both work._

"_They are hardly even in the same room together, which is suspicious considering they have a handful of projects that they're working on together." My source tells me. "Things have suddenly become icy cold between the two."_

_Perhaps the brouhaha that followed their announcement last Sunday was too much for the couple to handle. Or maybe the curse of Ronald Weasley has struck again and made a mess of sweet Hermione's love life. Either way it would be devastating if after a year of dating, they were unable to handle the pressures of a public relationship._

_I for one hope that this isn't the last we see of this gorgeous couple – they've barely caused enough of a ruckus for my liking! And as someone who personally knew both of them during our school days, I rather fancy the idea of them together – they do make a deliciously stunning couple!_

_Until next time, my darlings!_

_Parvati Patil_

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**Friday, May 7****th**** 2004 – 9:00am**

**Office of Draco Malfoy**

Draco shut his office door behind him, blocking out the curious stares and whispers that had followed him since his arrival in the Ministry atrium. If only he knew who Patil's damned source was, he'd show him (or her) what he thought of their crap.

But then again, it wasn't really crap, was it? He _had_ been avoiding Hermione like the plague.

A frown settled on his face as a flying memo snuck under the door and landed on his desk. He quickly walked over and unfolded it, his frown deepening as he read it.

_Malfoy,_

_My office NOW._

_Phineas Goldbloom_

Well, wasn't that just dandy.

Letting out a frustrated growl, he threw open his office door and made his way up the corridor. He turned into Phineas' office doorway, freezing as his eyes fell on Hermione. She was seated in front of their boss' desk, slightly turned so that she hadn't quite caught sight of him. Phineas was nowhere to be seen.

She jumped and turned to face him as Draco cleared his throat. "Draco!"

Sweet Circe, was she _trying _to tease him?!

Her maroon dress flowed gently from her waistline, which was accentuated with a thin gold belt, coming to an end a few centimetres above her knees. But the top half...it was form fitting, the thick straps giving way to a rather alluring plunge in the neckline to reveal just enough of the swell of her breasts. His eyes raked down the length of her enticing legs and up again, pausing momentarily on her chest.

To be quite honest, he was rather enjoying himself.

"Done ogling, Mr Malfoy?"

His perusal of Hermione's attire was rudely interrupted by Phineas pushing past him and taking a seat behind his desk. Draco let a scowl settle over his features as he took the seat beside Hermione.

"Imagine my displeasure when I saw my wife reading _this_ this morning." Phineas started, throwing a copy of Witch Weekly.

Neither of them said anything, merely glancing down at the offending article. "How is it that you two are _already_ failing the assignment I gave you? Do you not recall when I said that you had to bloody well act like a couple?"

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, silenced by Phineas' raised hands. "I don't want to hear it, Miss Granger. I want you both to leave my office this instant and fix whatever it is that is preventing you both from doing your jobs. You have until the start of next week to sort it out."

They both made their way to the door, stopped by his parting words. "May I remind the two of you, your jobs _depend_ on this." And with that, his office door shut behind them.

"My office." Hermione muttered, anger clearly written across her face.

She stormed off ahead of him, not even pausing to see if he was following her. She paused in her doorway, letting him enter before firmly closing and locking the door.

"Her-"

"Don't! Silencio." She interrupted, turning on him with an unyielding stare as she silenced the room. "I will _not_ lose my job because of you."

Draco's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "What? Because of me?!" What the hell was she on about?

"Yes, because of you!" She hissed, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "You've been acting like a complete jerk!"

"What? A jerk?!" He bellowed, thankful for the silencing charm Hermione had cast.

"Yes! Congratulations! Apparently you've got enough of a brain to repeat what I say!"

"What the hell crawled up your arse?!" His voice was nearly at a screeching volume.

"My arse?! You're the one who has gone off the bloody reservation!"

"Huh?" He asked inelegantly.

"It means you're acting like an imbecile! You've been acting as if I don't exist!" Hermione yelled, jabbing at his chest with a pointed finger.

"It's all I can do to not fucking_ jump_ you every fucking second!" His heart leapt into his throat as he realised what he said but Hermione didn't seem to have quite processed his words.

"Well, what the hell is stopping you?!"

Her eyes widened as the words left her mouth, her pulse hammering in her ears. They stood still for a long second, simply staring at each other in shock.

And suddenly, as if on cue, Draco surged forward. His hands cupped her cheeks as his lips urgently met hers. He let one of his hands fall to her waist, pulling her flush against his body. Hermione hummed contentedly as he ran his tongue along her lower lip, her hands desperately pulling at his shirt.

She allowed him to deepen the kiss, relishing in his gentle attention. And then suddenly his attentions were growing increasingly insistent and greedy. He lifted her into his arms, swiftly moving to press her against her office door. Her hands roved over his chest and upper arms, nails lightly raking his skin over his shirt. He nipped at her lower lip, hands frantically grasping at her hips.

Hermione let out a small cry of delight as he lifted her by the back of her thighs, pushing his body flush against hers. He recaptured her lips in his, swallowing the remnants of her squeal. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers digging into his upper arms as she moved her lips down the line of his jaw.

He growled with arousal, hungrily grasping her arse as she sucked and nibbled at the nape of his neck. Draco suddenly thanked his lucky stars that she was wearing a flared skirt, as opposed to a pencil skirt, as his fingers lingered on her legs. He was rewarded with her light mewls of pleasure as he caressed her upper thigh, reaching the curve of her ample bum.

Dear Merlin, was she not wearing underwear? This witch was going to be the death of him.

"Hermione." He gasped between kisses. "Dinner. Tonight?"

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**Friday, May 7****th**** 2004 – 8:17pm**

**Cora's Restaurant**

Hermione ducked off to the bathroom, giggling as she stole a coy glance over her shoulder at Draco who was paying at the counter. As enjoyable as the evening had been, she hadn't been able to take her mind off that morning. They hadn't gotten their hands off each other for another good five minutes before they had given in to the work piling on their desks.

She couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed that their moment had come to an end. She couldn't deny that she had enjoyed his affections – and trust her, she _really_ had enjoyed it – but what the hell would it mean?

Where the hell did they stand with each other anyway? This whole thing was supposed to be a farce and yet she was perfectly aware that she was drawn to him in a way she had never experienced before.

Draco was undeniably gorgeous. His body was…well, it was to die for; flawlessly chiselled and amazingly taut. His features screamed of aristocracy and yet held a certain level of kindness when he let it – his smile made butterflies erupt within her and all the warmth of her body pool at the bottom of her stomach at the same time. He was intelligent and determined. And he was surprisingly attentive, gentle and incredibly engaging – something she had _never_ expected from him.

They had come here straight from the Ministry and spent the entire evening simply chatting. They had so much to talk about, and so much in common it seemed – _that_ was something she had never had with Ron…or any other guy for that matter. They had teased and laughed and flirted all bloody night.

She most definitely didn't want the night to come to an end.

Draco was standing near the restaurant door, waiting for her with that charming smile.

"Shall we?" He asked. She took his proffered arm as he led her out of the restaurant, shivering as the cool night's air hitting them.

Hermione let out a surprised yell as he suddenly pinned her against the brick wall. "I've been waiting to do this all day." He murmured before leaning in to capture her lips.

She almost dropped her purse in surprise, tangling her free hand in his hair. He clutched at her waist and hips, arching her back off the wall to pull her against him. His lips kneaded against hers, hungrily drinking in as much of her as he could. He deepened their kiss, his tongue battling with hers for dominance.

His kisses fluctuated from urgent and fiery to gentle and loving and then back again. She whimpered against his mouth as he nibbled at her lower lip, arching her back to press her chest against his.

Dear Merlin, he wanted this witch. He couldn't get enough of her.

He moved his lips from hers, caressing the nape of her neck. Her moans sent shivers through his spine, his arousal growing with each delightful noise. He tugged on the lobe of her ear, revelling as she hooked her leg around his. Hermione pulled her leg forward, pressing their pelvises together. He swore he could feel heat emanating from her body, calling him to her.

His hand moved gently over her body, coming to a rest at the gentle curve of her breast at her neckline. His fingertip brushed the edge of her bra, rewarded by goosebumps erupting over her skin. Taking a chance he dipped his finger underneath her bra, grazing her hardening nipple.

"Draco." She gasped and whimpered at the same time, her back arching further against him. "Not here."

He grunted, burning with desire as he continued to massaged her breast. "My place?"

"Yes." She moaned, pulling him closer for one last kiss before he Disapparated them to his apartment.

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_**Love is in the Air**_

_**Saturday, May 8**__**th**__** 2004**_

_Never fear, my dear readers! Despite the rumours that have floated around about our favourite couple of the decade, it seems as though things have never been better between Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Don't you worry – my apparently trustful source is a source no more._

_The couple were seen last night, engaged in a rather passionate embrace outside the walls of Cora's Restaurant – or rather, __against__ the walls of Cora's Restaurant. Don't believe me – just take a look at the picture below._

_Draco was seen turning on Hermione with a fierce kiss, which soon grew steamier by the second. The couple couldn't keep their hands, or lips, off of each other before they left for the night. We can only speculate where they went but my darlings, I admit I was fanning myself for hours after witnessing that. _

_You cannot imagine how much I wished I could take Hermione's place. The way Draco looked at her and showered her with affection, it was enough to make any woman swoon. It was clearly to see that they have an abundance of pent up sexual tension from their days at Hogwarts._

_I can only hope that we see __much__ more of this side of the sizzling couple._

_Love and kisses,_

_Parvati Patil_

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**A/N: Please read and review! I know I'm not good with any form of smut but I am trying for those of you who have asked for it. I'd love to know what you think!**


	10. X

**A/N: Ahh! I was overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Please read and review!**

**LadiePhoenix007 – your feedback was lovely. Thank you for always reviewing my work – I think you're my most faithful reader!**

**johnsocz – haha that's for me to know and you to perhaps find out one day! **

**Dream-Like-State – your review made my day. I'm so glad that you are enjoying my work and that I somehow managed to pull you back into the world of fanfiction. Such an honour!**

**HallowRain8587 – thank you for that, I feel so much more reassured now :)**

**HarryPGinnyW4eva – I think Parvati is brilliant too! You may see a little more of her this chapter.**

**fantasia-49 – thank you for always reviewing. Hopefully I'll continue to keep you entertained!**

**To everyone else who reviewed, thank you so very much. My heart jumps with joy everytime I get that little email saying I have a new review. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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**Chapter 10**

**Saturday, May 8****th**** 2004 – 10:02am**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

"Morning sunshine!"

Hermione grunted as something, or someone rather, landed on top of her. She cursed under her breath at the familiar voice.

"Get up woman! Get up, get up, get u-up!" Ginny pestered, bouncing up and down on the mattress.

"Ginny." She whined, hopelessly trying to pull the quilt over her head. "I'm tired. Let me sleep."

"Pfft. It is 10am…when have you _ever_ slept this late?"

She let out an annoyed groan. "Leave me alone. I came home late last night."

"Oh I know you did." There was something in her voice that piqued Hermione's interest.

She relented and sat up. "Huh?"

Ginny thrust a copy of the Daily Prophet in her face. Splayed across the front was an image of Draco and herself engaged in a rather passionate embrace under the headline 'Granger and Malfoy Heat Up'. She covered her face as a deep blush rose to her cheeks.

"Oh my gosh, Gin! What the hell is that?!"

The redhead's smile widened even further, if it were even possible. "Well _that_ would be Malfoy and you getting it on!"

"Ginny!" Hermione screeched, playfully smacking her with the newspaper.

"Please. Don't try to tell me you_ didn't _get a piece of that. I may be married but Malfoy is positively edible."

She opened her mouth to retort before two thoughts flew into her mind. She couldn't exactly tell Ginny that she hadn't done anything with Draco if they had been apparently dating for the past year and she definitely couldn't deny that he was extremely attractive.

After Apparating to his apartment, they had continued in an almost idyllic manner; meaningful, interesting conversation interspersed with some intimacy. She had been all too reluctant to leave, finally persuading herself after she had nearly fallen asleep on his couch.

As much as she had enjoyed the evening, all it had done was confuse her even more. Whatever was going on between them was so undefined, she had no idea what to expect.

"I can pretty much hear you thinking. You n-"

She was interrupted by tapping at the bedroom window. Before Hermione could move, Ginny jumped up to let the owl in. She gave it a treat before opening the letter and reading it out.

_Hermione,_

_Thank you for a fantastic evening – I had an amazing time with you last night. You were absolutely breathtaking, as always._

_I do need to speak with you. I will come by at midday – please let me know if this doesn't suit you._

_Draco_

Ginny squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement. "How _cute_ is he?"

"Cute?" Hermione scoffed. "Don't let Harry or Ron hear that – they'd have a fit."

She was hit by the letter before it was tossed onto the bed in front of her. "Oh shut up – I still can't believe it. But he's actually…endearing." Ginny squealed again. "_Breathtaking_! He called you breathtaking! As that Muggle says, be still my beating heart!"

"Ginny…"

"Tell me everything!"

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**Saturday, May 8****th**** 2004 – 12:14pm**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Before Ginny had left, she had extended an invitation for Draco and her to join the Potters for dinner that night. 'Can't wait to ask Draco', Hermione thought sarcastically.

She was half-sprawled on the chaise, her eyes on the book in her hands. It felt like a lifetime since she had last sat down and let herself enjoy a good novel – and this time was no different. As much as she tried, her eyes skimmed over the words without really taking them in.

Her fireplace suddenly came to life, flashing green to signal his arrival. Her heart hammered faster, beating against her chest wall. How was it that his mere presence had such an effect on her?

Draco flashed a dazzling smile as he stepped out of the flames. "Afternoon."

She chided herself mentally as she felt her cheeks rouge. "Hey Draco. How are you?" She greeted, unconsciously fiddling with the edge of her book as she set it down beside her.

He sat down beside her, his hand lightly brushing against hers as he did. "Fantastic. A little tired after last night though. I don't think I got to bed until almost two. Yourself?"

"About the same, though I did get woken up Ginny. She was a bit too excited by Parvati's article about us if you ask me."

Draco chuckled. "Ah yes. I did get a rather...interesting wakeup call from Mother after she saw that one. Apparently public displays of affection are 'unbecoming' of a Wizard of my fame. I wouldn't have minded so much if I hadn't just finished showing when she came over."

"Oh Merlin - I would have paid to see that." Hermione giggled before quickly sobering up. "Your face that is...not _that_! I would have payoff to see your face in that moment..." She trailed off as a deep blush settled over her cheeks.

Draco watched with amusement as her expression morphed from one of embarrassment to seriousness.

"Really though, Draco - what do your parents think of this?" She asked, pointing between the two of them.

"That's actually what I came over for." He almost chuckled as Hermione predictably stiffened beside him. "Don't worry – she didn't have much to say."

"Well, what did she say?"

Her interest was piqued as he bristled beside her. "Well, actually…she invited – or more demanded – that I bring you over for dinner tomorrow."

"What?!" Hermione jumped up from the couch to pace in front of where they had been seated. "Tomorrow? No th-that's not enough time."

"Time for what?"

"Time to prepare, Malfoy!"

He raised a perfect eyebrow at her. "You don't need t-"

"Oh yes I do! Dinner with the freaking Malfoys! Merlin help me now!"

He stood up to meet her, placing both his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "Hermione, I'm sure it will be fine. Trust me – I wouldn't have heard the end of it if she had many obj-if she had objections." He corrected himself at the bewildered expression on her face.

"Draco, I can't!" Her face looked awfully dejected.

"Yes you can, Hermione – for me?" He wasn't beneath guilt-tripping her into it.

What he wasn't prepared for was the flash of relief that flitted across her face, followed by a sly little smile. If he hadn't been worried about what exactly that meant, he may have been proud of her guile.

"Alright, I'll do it. In that case, we're going out for dinner with Harry and Ginny – you know…for me."

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**Saturday, May 8****th**** 2004 – 6:15pm**

**The Argyle Restaurant, Wizarding London**

"Table for four for-"

"Mr Potter. Of course – right this way, sir."

Harry tilted his head to the rest of the group, indicating them to follow him and the maître d'. They settled at the table, Draco seating himself beside Hermione, across from Harry. Harry ordered a bottle of fine red wine before they were left alone at the table.

An uncomfortable moment hung between the two couples before it was broken.

"So Malfoy, I'm glad you decided to come."

Draco held back a snort of amusement. "It's not like Hermione would've given me much of a choice."

"You've got that right." Harry chuckled. "So Hermione, Malfoy – we're both dying to know – how did you two end up getting together?"

Hermione nodded at him subtlety. They had thankfully formulated a story after that fated meeting with Goldbloom.

"As you know, we've worked together for a few years now. And I must admit, it didn't do us a lot of good for a while."

Ginny let out a soft scoff as she sipped her water – what she saw as the greatest curse of being pregnant. "Oh trust me, well aware of that. If only you _heard_ the things she said about you."

He turned to Hermione with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really now."

"Come on – I doubt you were singing _my_ praises to your little friends."

He flashed her a smile before turning back to their dinner companions. "I suppose we had become more civil to each other. In the months leading up to the ball last year, we were assigned to another project together for it so we had to be more…tolerable of each other."

The story up until now had been the truth, Hermione thought as she reflected back on the year before. They had been getting along better than usual.

"We had come in on the weekend to get some things done with Mitch, Mitchell Symonds," he clarified. "And he had left to get us lunch. We somehow ended up talking about the shit we had experienced in the war."

He paused uncomfortably. Hermione shot him a reassuring smile before continuing for him. "That conversation helped us understand each other better and I guess, we formed some form of a friendship after that."

"Mitch had a few weeks of leave to visit family overseas so Hermione and I spent a lot of time together with no one else around. I realised how wrong I had been in everything I had done at Hogwarts…especially in my opinion of her. She suddenly wasn't this annoying ex-bucktoothed bookworm to me – she became so much more."

Hermione felt a light blush rise to her cheeks. She knew that this was supposedly 'just' their story but after they had concocted it, Draco had apologised for the way he had treated her and admitted that he had come to respect her – that is, before he added that he was only saying it 'for the sake of saving their jobs'.

"I realised just how amazing Hermione is – how intelligent and resilient she is, how fierce she can be when she needs to, how good-natured and giving she is…how undeniably beautiful she is…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"One night just before the ball, when it was only the two of us again, I don't know what came over me…and I kissed her."

Ginny clasped a hand against her chest as she let out a thrilled squeal. "Oh my gosh, that's so _sweet_!"

Harry, however, wasn't so convinced. "And what, Mione, you just fell head over heels for him?"

"Christ no!" Hermione laughed, sparing an affectionate smile at Draco. "I mean, I didn't exactly…reject his advances but I definitely freaked out afterwards. Avoided him for as long as I could, which only ended up being a week thanks to Phineas. And because I had put off all our meetings, we had to have a few late nights to make up ground."

"By this time, I was definitely infatuated with her and ridiculously confused about what I was feeling. I hadn't been able to get her out of my mind for the past week…and I knew that I couldn't just ignore it."

"Little did he know, I was just as confused. To be honest, that kiss that sparked something in me that I hadn't felt in a long time – since before Ron and I, and all of that crap. I had already seen the immense changes in Draco and I wanted to know more, to know _him_ better."

"And so I kissed her again. I think you can guess how things went after that."

Ginny let out another squeal, dabbing at the tears that had formed in her eyes. They glanced over at Harry, waiting for his reaction.

His face split into a wide grin. "Wow…well I definitely didn't see this coming. Just don't hurt her, Malfoy."

Hermione let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She nearly jumped as Draco's hands wrapped around hers and gave it a light squeeze. Harry threw his arm around the back of Ginny's chair, lifting his glass up towards the pair.

"To the two of you, then. Cheers!"

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**Saturday, May 8****th**** 2004 – 7:24pm**

**Outside of the Argyle Restaurant, Wizarding London**

Parvarti Patil was very nearly beside herself. She could have sworn that Merlin was on her side - she had had the most incredible luck lately.

She had just stumbled upon a brilliant story and here it was, quite literally sitting right in front of her eyes. The Wizarding world's darling, Harry Potter, and his wife were having dinner with the 'it' couple of the day. And it looked like they were having a brilliant time.

Draco Malfoy had his arm wrapped around Hermione Granger, who had let her body lean against his, and he was laughing, yes _laughing_, at something that Harry had just said. Stop the presses, she had to be dreaming. She hadn't even been aware that the blonde could smile, let alone laugh! And he was bloody _gorgeous_ with that carefree laugh on his face.

Well if it weren't for his budding romance with Hermione, she wouldn't have hesitated to jump him.

Digging her camera out of her bag, Parvati went to work. _Snap, snap! Snap, snap, snap!_ What she would have given to be a fly on the wall in that restaurant, she thought as she took picture after picture.

Ginny said something, earning a bemused stare from her husband as she stared expectantly at the couple. Hermione turned to face Draco, whispering something into his ear that caused a wide smile to blossom on his face. Oh sweet Circe, he was bloody gorgeous. _Snap!_ He leaned forward, placing a sweetly lingering kiss on her lips. _Snap, snap, snap!_

Hermione's face quickly rouged, as she turned away from her date and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. What she didn't noticed was the adoring expression on Draco's face as his eyes remained on her. _Snap, snap! _Gosh, this couple was pure dynamite – Parvati was definitely going to be promoted after this.

To her surprise, Harry didn't look all that disgusted by their display of affection. _Snap, snap!_

And so her surprise, Parvati knew exactly what she had to do to _really_ enhance what was now Monday's article. She needed to speak to Ron Weasley.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things have been extremely busy but I promise I'm trying to update as much as possible.**

**Please review!**


	11. XI

**A/N: I was actually thrilled by the response to the last chapter. So exciting!**

**LadiePhoenix007 – they definitely are perfect. I don't really picture Ron as a man of many words – more like an angry child. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**ASJS – thank you for your review! Hopefully this chapter has a bit more from Draco's POV for your liking! I find it so much easy to write from her POV than his.**

**Chester99 – I know it's a little odd but it is sort of the basis of the whole story. Please bear with it and hopefully, you'll enjoy the story.**

**Austione – there definitely will be a few pitfalls for added drama though I'm not 100% sure what yet. Suggestions are always welcome! I can't wait for their bliss either.**

**HarryPGinnyW4eva – I'm really enjoying writing Parvati! She's definitely becoming a favourite. Hope you like this chapter.**

**LunarPotion – please continue liking Parvati! She's only trying to get a good story :)**

**fantasia-49 – thank you for being such a faithful reviewer! The chemistry between our two lovebirds definitely isn't fake.**

**Thank you also to izzyanne, LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL, Senshi at Heart, Cat130, IGOTEAMEDWARD and Finnislife for reviewing!**

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**Chapter 11**

**Saturday, May 8****th**** 2004 – 9:42pm**

**The Potter Residence**

He wasn't quite sure how but Draco had somehow ended up _inside_ the Potters' house. Well, he had been invited in but that in itself dumbfounded him. The whole concept was laughable – they had had _such_ an enjoyable evening that Potter had voluntarily invited them over for coffee afterwards.

And they were getting along superbly.

"Come on Potter, you can't sit there and pretend you're totally innocent. I've heard of some of the shit you got into!"

"Oi! That stuff just happened! I didn't _put_ myself in those situations." Draco challenged him by raising a single eyebrow at him. "Well…I didn't _most_ of the time."

Draco chortled at his admission. "You got that right. I heard about your adventure with Polyjuice. You know, you and Princess the cat over hear." He finished, tipping his head in Hermione's direction. Ginny burst into giggles as Harry choked on a sip of Firewhiskey.

"Oh shut up." She couldn't help but grin.

"Princess? Is that what Bulstrode called that monstrous thing?!" Harry exclaimed.

Draco's eyes lit up with mirth. "Oh no. Not princess. Princess Buttercup the Fourth. Apparently she doesn't have a good track record with pets."

A roar of laughter erupted. Hermione couldn't help the contented feeling that was rising through her chest. This was perfect, if only it were real.

'Whoa. What? Did I really just think that?'

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**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 6:29am**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

She was firmly stuck in his mind. Invading his every thought.

How was it that Hermione Granger had such an effect on him?

He had enjoyed himself last night – he had more than enjoyed himself, he had had a _great_ time. With Hermione, Saint-Potter and Potter's woman. What was the world coming to?

Draco had actually gotten along with Potter – apparently they weren't as different as he would have liked to think. There hadn't been a single awkward moment, no lull in the conversation, even when Ginny and Hermione had gone into the kitchen to chat and make tea.

Surely, he had entered some twisted sort of alternate universe.

He had barely slept last night. He couldn't stop thinking about her. And if he looked back, she had been plaguing his mind for days now.

He closed his eyes and there she was in all her beauty. Those dark, endless eyes. That adorable button nose. Her eyebrows that were so subtlety uneven that he was surprised he had even noticed it. Those luscious lips. Man – he could kiss her for hours on end.

At some point the night before, she had ended up curled against him on the couch. And he had enjoyed it. He liked the feeling of her snuggled against him as if they were a _real_ couple. He couldn't figure out for the life of him why it pleased him. In the past, he freaked out whenever a girl tried to cuddle him, or really tried to do anything that wasn't purely physical.

But something about the way she felt in his arms stirred up something unknown deep inside him.

Bloody hell, he was screwed.

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**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 8:48am**

**The Burrow**

"Hi Mrs Weasley. My name is Parvati, I'm a friend of Ron's from Gryffindor. I was wondering if he was here. I'd like to talk to him."

Molly stared at the dark-skinned girl in front of her, momentarily confused before coming to her senses. A beautiful woman was standing on her doorstep, asking after _her_ son.

"Oh I'm so sorry, my dear. Please come in. I'll just go and get Ron for you."

She knew who the girl was, of course. It was one of those Indian twins, the one that Ron had taken as his date to the Yule Ball. She felt a rush of excitement – Parvati _had_ asked for Ron, after all. Perhaps she had renewed feelings for the boy. She sure hoped so – the girl certainly was something to look at.

Maybe this was exactly what Ron needed right now.

He had been in an utterly foul mood since the weekend prior. He had somehow ended up in an argument with anyone, and everyone, in the household. Things had been particularly nasty between George and him, making for some unbelievably awkward family dinners.

As much as she wanted to support her precious son, her youngest boy, Molly had to admit that he was acting rather asinine. Just maybe a beautiful, and hopefully single, friend was what he needed to pull him out of this fuss.

"Ron."

"What?" Oh sweet Merlin, he looked appalling.

His hair was even more unkempt than usual, his eyes surrounded by dark circles. He _smelt_ as though he hadn't bothered with showering for the past seven days and his clothes were dishevelled and covered in stains.

No. This was unacceptable.

"There is a darling woman in our living room, wanting to see you. You have five minutes to get yourself tidied up – do _not_ disappoint me." Her voice finished at a low whisper, warning her son to behave. Ron knew far better than to mess with his mother when she was in such a state.

Surely enough, five minutes later he made his way downstairs; showered, hair brushed and dressed presentably. There was nothing he could do for the exhaustion splayed across his face – his mother would just have to deal with that.

He came to a stop in the doorway to the living room. "Parvati?"

What the bloody hell was she doing here? He hadn't spoken to her since they had left school.

"Ron!" She greeted, giving him a warm hug.

Huh?

Little did he know, Molly was peeking through the kitchen door. Well, that certainly looked promising. She turned on her heel, whistling happy to herself. She most definitely wouldn't mind seeing more of that Indian witch.

"How are you?"

"Um. Yeah, good. How are you?" He stammered out. What was going on?

"I'm brilliant, thanks." She continued speaking as she rummaged through her bag. "I can only imagine how hard things have been on you lately. It can't have been easy to see Hermione and Malfoy _displaying _the relationship for everyone to see."

She almost sounded…sympathetic. "Well, yeah. Really hard actually."

"I mean – to not have the decency to tell you first and then to _throw_ it on you like that after everything you have been through together. It seems harsh."

She _did _understand. "Damn right, it was harsh! Bloody inconsiderate, if you ask me. I mean, she practically led me on for all these years and then to flounce around with _him_. Draco Malfoy, of all bloody people! It sickens me!"

Parvati patted him on the shoulder. Her face was carefully schooled into an expression of compassion but deep down, she was rejoicing. She had hit the proverbial jackpot.

She pulled a folder from her bag, thrusting it at him. "I'm sorry to do this to you, Ron. But I wanted you to see these before they are published in the tomorrow's paper."

He opened the folder. And saw red.

This had to be some joke.

The binder held a handful of pictures. Of what appeared to be Hermione, Ginny, Harry and bloody Malfoy.

And they appeared to be getting along marvellously.

His bloody sister and damn brother-in-law enjoying a night out with the love of his bloody life and her rat-bastard boyfriend.

"The _fuck_ is this?!"

Parvati quickly took a step back at his enraged face. "I took those last night. I thought you deserved to see it them first. I can only imagine how upsetting this must be."

"Upsetting? You think this is upsetting?!" She was surprised at just how menacing his voice was. "This isn't upsetting. This is infuriating. How _dare_ they? My own flesh and blood! How could they deceive me like this?!"

"Ron…"

"No! You can't say anything to make this better. Harry and Ginny should know better." He snarled.

"Better than what?" Good grief, she was getting some gold out of this.

"They all should know better than to think that their joke of a relationship is going to last. _Trust_ me on that."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "How can you be so sure? I've watched them – they have undeniable chemistry."

He surged forward angrily, waving the images in her face. "Don't lie to me! Hermione is _mine_! And she'll do well to remember it."

With that, he surged towards the fireplace and threw in a handful of Floo powder.

"Potter Residence!"

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**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 8:56am**

**Potter Residence**

Harry rolled over in bed, wrapped his arms around his pregnant wife. She grumbled in response, snuggling into his embrace. She wasn't a morning person at all – never had been and never would.

"Morning beautiful." He whispered into the crook of her neck.

"M'un'ry…" She mumbled back at him, burying her face into her pillow.

"What?"

"I'm hungry." She whined in response.

He chuckled at her, turning over again to get out of bed. "Alright, alright. Come down in ten."

He padded downstairs, flicking his wand to get the eggs and bacon out of the fridge and set the pans moving.

Whistling to himself, Harry started cooking and began brewing a pot of coffee for himself. He faintly heard their living room fireplace come alive.

"Harry! Ginevra! Where the _hell_ are you?!"

What on earth was Ron doing here? "Ron? I'm in the kitchen."

He winced as the door slammed open, a red-faced irate Ron storming into the room. "You have a lot of nerve." He hissed, pointing a threatening finger at Harry.

"Huh?" The food sizzled forgotten behind him.

"Don't pretend to be so innocent! You think you can just prance around doing whatever the hell you want because _you're_ Harry Potter? Well I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you!" He yelled, finishing his tirade by slamming his fists on the kitchen table.

"Harry? What the hell is going on?" Ginny appeared in the doorway, rubbing at her tired eyes.

"And _you!_ You're supposed to be _my sister_! What the bloody hell ever happened to family coming first?! Huh?! Explain yourself!" Ron demanded, throwing the folder of photos on the table.

They spilled out, scattering over the tabletop and onto the floor.

"Oh."

"Oh? OH?! Is that all you have to say for yourself?! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You've always been a bottom feeder – kissing the arses of those above you to get some attention. Well fuck you Ginny. And you too Harry. Fuck you both! And fu-"

He was cut off by Harry wordlessly flicking his wand in his direction, silencing him. His green eyes were stormy, darkened by anger. Ginny's glossy with unshed tears at her brother's harsh words.

"Don't you _dare_ speak to your sister like that. Now I firmly believe that the three of us can have _mature_ conversation, and discuss whatever the hell has your knickers in a twist, so I will unsilenced you. But I'm warning you Ron – insult Ginny one more time and I will _not_ hesitate to hex you to the Burrow and back. Nod once if you understand me."

Ron scowled but nodded nevertheless. With another flick of his wand, Harry unsilenced him. "Now tell me, _calmly_, why you are so stupidly riled up."

"Stupidly?!" Harry glared at him warningly. "The pair of you had dinner with Hermione and that, that _git_!"

"And?" Ginny asked, defiantly raising an eyebrow at him.

"AND?! You're supposed to by _my _sister and _my_ best friend! How could you betray me like this?!"

Harry rubbed at his temples as Ginny scoffed, causing his brother to splutter ungracefully. "Harry and I are also best friends with Hermione and as such, we will support her no matter what."

"Bu-"

"Ron." Harry said, rather calmly. "You had your chance with her. The two of you dated. And it did _not_ work out…for a reason. You're not compatible as a couple. I'm sorry but you just aren't. You gave it a shot and it didn't work – it is time to move on."

"Bullshit! We were _made_ for each other! We're supposed to be together!"

"Ron…"

"NO! You're both full of shit! You know _nothing_!" His face was beet red, eyes wide with anger.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, I'm sick of you acting like a child. And I'm sick of everyone having to tiptoe around you!" Harry yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked petulantly.

"It means that it's time for you to grow the fuck up! Hermione loves you _as a friend_ – and that is always going to be the extent of your relationship! She has _tried _to move on multiple times in the past and _you_ have always acted like a complete git and ruined it for her! She has moved on again and you will stay the _hell_ out of their relationship!"

"How _dare_ you!"

Ginny cried in frustration. "Oh just shut up Ron! Neither of us are going to have this conversation with you again. We're sick of it. Quite frankly, _everyone_ can see that Hermione and you weren't ever going to end up together – even Mum knows it, for crying out loud!"

"B-"

"No, Ron! I have more important things to deal with than you and your idiocy. You know, like our unborn child. If you're not going to grow up – or at least, shut up – then you can just get out!"

"But I love Herm-"

"GET OUT!"

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**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 6:50pm**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

He was nervous. So nervous that he was pacing up and down in front of his fireplace. His hands were clammy. His heart was racing. He was acting like a fifteen-year-old Longbottom, for Salazar's sake!

He had every single right to be.

In ten minutes, he would be Flooing to the manor for a delightful little dinner with Hermione and his parents. Oh joy.

Draco had no idea how his parents were going to act. How they would carry themselves. How they would respond to Hermione. How Hermione was going to respond to _them_.

Oh shit, how was Hermione going to deal with being in that house again? The last time she had been there…well let's just say, his dear Aunt Bella was having the time of her life. He hadn't even thought of how she would cope.

'Good job, Draco. I mean really. Take your pretend girlfriend to the place she was tortured in.' He thought to himself.

But she didn't really feel like a pretend girlfriend, did she? He was sure that the desire he felt in her presence wasn't fake. The way his body responded to her most definitely wasn't fake.

It had only been a week in publicity and it was already getting too much for him. He was confused. There were far too many emotions bouncing around his heart and head for him to comprehend.

Draco Malfoy had never felt this many emotions at once.

_Ever_.

He glanced in the mirror, nervously fixing his hair. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a light grey button-down shirt. He absently found himself fixing the collar of his shirt, wondering if she would like his outfit.

'Apparently I'm a damn girl now.' He thought irately.

He found himself caring about what she thought. What she wanted. How she felt. He had never really concerned himself with what he had seen as trivial things but now…well, now they were so incredibly important.

There was something so natural about everything with her; from their moments of surprisingly comfortable silence, to their conversations, to their more intimate exchanges. Sweet Merlin, her lips – he could kiss those lips for all eternity.

He wanted more with her and yet, there was something that unnerved him about just how much things had grown between them. This had started out as a farce only a few weeks prior and yet he couldn't get her out of his mind.

The fireplace behind him came alive as Hermione stepped out, carefully dusting small remnants of soot from her skirt.

"Hi." She greeted, lightly blushing as he appraised her.

She looked stunning. She was dressed simply, in a black blouse tucked into a cream-coloured flared skirt with a pair of low wedge-heeled sandals. How could she look so breathtaking in an outfit that would look rather plain on any other woman?

"Hey." His voice sounded husky, even to his own ears. "As always, you look beautiful."

Draco stepped forward, carefully placing a hand on her waist as he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. Even such simple contact with her made his heart pound. She was intoxicating, like a potent drug.

"You look pretty dashing yourself, Mr Malfoy." She teased.

Was she flirting with him? He most certainly hoped so.

Without thinking, he leant forward and captured her lips in his. Hermione stiffened momentarily at the action before relaxing into his arms. He could hear his pulse beating in his ears, his hands imperceptibly shaking as he pulled her flush against him.

He couldn't think of any moment more perfect.

He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, grinning to himself as she sighed and gave him permission to deepen the kiss. He wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her firm against him as he tangled the other hand in her mess of curls. Her hands clung to the front of his shirt as if he were the only thing keeping her upright. She moaned against him as their tongues clashed, battling for a moment of dominance.

Draco had no idea what he was doing. There was no one around – no people and no cameras to put on a show for. And yet, he didn't want to stop. He didn't want to let go of the entrancing witch in his arms.

He slowly moved his lips from hers, kissing a path down her jawline to the nape of her neck. She gasped as he sucked and nipped at her neck. "Draco…" The sound of her moaning his name sent shivers down his spine.

He wanted her. He wanted her like he had never wanted a woman before. He wanted her as his, now and forever.

Moving his lips back to hers, he continued his ministrations, hitching her up in his arms. He was so very close to getting carried away – he knew it and he didn't quite care.

"Draco." She whispered against his lips.

Sweet Circe – it sounded heavenly.

"Draco." She said again, this time much more firmly. He pulled back, frowning as he noticed that her eyes were focused somewhere behind him. "Draco, it's seven!"

He grunted in response, leaning forward to nibble at her neck again.

"We have to go to dinner with your parents."

Oh shit. Her words washed over him like a bucket of ice water.

Apparently the world was conspiring against him and any possibility he had of intimacy with her. Was he ever going to get a break?

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**I'm going to take this opportunity to plug my new oneshot. It's called 'Amnesia' based on the song by 5SOS. It's written completely in first person from Draco's POV, which is a totally new experience for me. I'd love to know what you all think!**

**Please review! 3**


	12. XII

**A/N: Thank you to my lovely reviewers! I am happy to say that I've officially finished with exams for the year so hopefully I'll be able to update more often (fingers crossed!).**

**My fiancé pointed out that I should take the time to personally respond to each review. And I think that with the extra time I have now, I definitely should.**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 7:02pm**

**Malfoy Manor**

Hermione could feel her heart racing as they Apparated into the hallway. She had managed to catch sight of herself in a mirror before they left and had been appalled at her dishevelled hair. Draco's hands had managed to do quite a number.

She was now presentable but that in no way alleviated the dread that had settled firmly at the bottom of her stomach. She was standing in Malfoy Manor, only metres away from the room she had been _tortured_ in, about to have dinner with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

Someone pinch her.

"You okay?" Draco squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Did she really look _that_ terrified?

"I'm fine." She did her best to give him a comfortable smile.

He looked at her unconvinced, before leading her down the hallway. "My parents should be in formal lounge."

Beautiful artwork lined the walls, accentuated by polished silver frames. There were a few portraits interspersed with the other paintings, their pale aristocratic faces sneering down at her. The Malfoy ancestors clearly had no issues showcasing their disdain for anyone less than thoroughly Pureblood.

Draco sneered right back at them, almost threatening them to speak harshly against his pseudo-girlfriend. He was quite proud of the poise with which she held herself. One word out of line and he would have no qualms blasting those damned portraits from the wall.

He felt her stiffen beside them as they continued through the hallway, as she suddenly stopped moving.

"Wh-" Her eyes were firmly fixated on a large ornate set of doors. "Oh."

How could he have been so stupid? He hadn't even considered how difficult it would be for her to be in the Manor, let alone walk straight past _that_ room.

"Shit. I am so sorry."

She shook her head and turned to him. He was taken aback at the resolve in her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault that your aunty was a psychotic bitch."

If he hadn't felt so serious, he would have laughed at her words. His mother's sister had always had a screw loose but 'psychotic bitch' didn't even begin to describe that woman.

"I'm being serious, Hermione. We can leave if this is too hard for you; reschedule for another time."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Too hard for me? Please – unfortunately, that wasn't the worst thing I had to face during the war. I saw friends die right in front of me at the place I had called home for six years. I'm fine."

And with that, she walked forward and pushed the heavy doors open. The lights in the room came on with a flick of her wand.

Hermione took a few steps in, slowly turning in a circle as she looked over every corner of the room. Taking a deep breath in and letting it out, she cocked her head to the side and smiled at him.

In that moment, she looked more beautiful and so much stronger than she had ever before.

She walked forward and laced her fingers with his again. "Shall we?"

Merlin, she was perfect.

Without thinking, Draco bent forward and quickly kissed her. "Let's go."

Before long, they stood outside another set of doors. "Ready?" He asked her.

She let out a little laugh. "As ready as I'm ever going to be." He flicked the doors open with his wand, leading her into the beautifully decorated room.

Narcissa's mouth blossomed into a wide smile at the sight of her son, as she stood from her seat to greet them. Hermione couldn't help but feel incredibly plain in the older woman's presence. Lucius was standing by the fireplace, sipping a glass of Firewhiskey.

"Draco darling!" Narcissa exclaimed, moving forward to embrace her boy. "I've missed you."

Draco's cheeks flushed lightly at his mother's attention. She had always been extremely affectionate towards him – something that surprised anyone who didn't know them very well.

Narcissa pulled away from him, only to turn to Hermione with a wide smile. "Miss Granger!" She almost whispered, before pulling her into a firm embrace. Draco had to stop himself from chuckling at the bewildered expression on Hermione's ace – he had a feeling that neither woman would appreciate it.

She pulled away from her, holding the younger woman at arm's length. "Thank you for coming, my dear. It really does mean the world to me…to us." Hermione merely nodded, her wide eyes flashing to Draco and back. "And look at you – absolutely beautiful. The pictures in the paper do not do you justice!"

"Draco." Lucius greeted from his place beside the fireplace. "Miss Granger." He nodded at her.

"Mr Malfoy. Thank you for having me." She responded.

"Lucius Malfoy! Come and greet your guest properly!"

Draco snorted at his mother's horrified tone and the admonished expression on his father's face. "I'm sorry, dear. Welcome, Miss Granger. It is a pleasure having you here. Shall we go to the private dining room? It is much more personal than our formal dining room."

Lucius offered his arm to Narcissa before leading the way into a nearby room.

Hermione looked absolutely bewildered. "What the hell?" She hissed at Draco after taking his proffered arm.

He chuckled at her confusion. "I told you he's not at all what you would expect."

"No shit." She whispered.

Draco pulled out a chair for her. She suspected that his chivalrous manners would never cease to surprise her.

A small house elf appeared behind her, Hermione letting out a small startled squeak. "Poppy is sorry, Miss! Bad Poppy! Poppy naughty!"

"No, no! I was just a li-you have clothes?" She nearly clapped her hands over her mouth as the words escaped. Poppy was wearing a rather darling white dress, with a large M embroidered over the front.

Draco laughed at her, quietening under his mother's warning stare.

"Yes, darling." Narcissa explained, not at all bothered by Hermione's utter surprise. "Draco insisted that we gift our elves with clothing a few years ago and give them the option to work for us. As I recall, it was not long after a speech you delivered at the Forum for Creature Equality."

Her eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Seriously?"

"Yes _seriously_." Lucius drawled.

"I, uh…you were pretty compelling." Draco mumbled, a deep flush rising to his cheeks.

"So Miss Granger, do tell me – how is it that you and my son came to be dating?"

Hermione smiled warmly at the older woman, recounting their well-versed story as their entrée was served. "And somehow he managed to completely sweep me off my feet." She finished.

A wide smirk adorned Lucius' face. "Yes, we could tell. I believe that would be a lipstick stain on your collar, Draco?"

Hermione's eyes widened with horror, blushing as she saw that blasted stain.

"Lucius!" Narcissa scolded him.

"What?" He asked, schooling his face into an expression of innocence – something Hermione would never have expected to see on him. "Malfoy men are irresistible…wouldn't you say, darling?"

Draco flushed, getting increasingly embarrassed with each passing moment. "Father!"

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**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 8:24pm**

**Malfoy Manor**

Lucius cleared his throat as the remnants of dessert were cleared from their plates. "Miss Granger, would you be so kind as to join me in the drawing room?"

She felt her heart drop to her feet, her hands growing clammier by the second. "Of course." She replied, casting a nervous glance at Draco who could only flash her a reassuring smile.

Gathering her napkin and placing it on the table, she followed Lucius out of the dining room.

He poured two glasses of Firewhiskey, handing one to her before seating himself. Hermione took a large gulp of the amber liquid before sitting across from him. Her pulse was beating in her ears – the silence was absolute torture.

"Mr. Malfoy-"

"Lucius."

"Oh. Um, Lucius, I am under no illusions. I am a Muggleborn and that makes me unworthy of your son in your eyes. But I want you to know that I don't care."

He opened his mouth to speak but she continued, getting worked up with each word. "I'll have you know that I came first in our year of Hogwarts for a reason. I may not have come from a privileged Magical background but I worked hard to get where I am and to achieve what I have achieved. I will not have you belittling my efforts or trying to make me feel like I am anything less than your equal because of my heritage."

"Are you done?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow in her direction.

She suddenly felt incredibly sheepish but refused to show it. "Yes." She said, holding her head defiantly.

"What I was going to tell you, Miss Granger, was that despite my prior misgivings and transgressions, I have no issues with your involvement with my son."

"Huh?" Hermione almost cringed as soon as she let out that undignified sound.

"I owe my freedom, my family's freedom, to you and your friends. My biggest regret is that I was too narrow-minded to realise the truth about the Dark Lord before the war ended. The immense death, the bloodshed and the heartbreak was all for nothing – all for some archaic notion that I failed to realise was no longer relevant."

She could do nothing but stare blankly at him. What was she supposed to say to _that_?

"I want to apologise for the way I treated you and you friends – for the way I raised my son to treat you. I am just grateful that Draco saw the truth before I did and that you haven't held his mistakes against him."

He glanced down at his hands, his nervousness showing for a fleeting moment.

"I must say, I don't think my son could have found anyone better for him than you. This is the first time in a lifetime that I have seen him so carefree – so truly happy – and I know that Narcissa and I have you to thank for that. Please know that you are a welcome part of our family."

Hermione could only blink at him. Well, that was unexpected.

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**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 8:42pm**

**Malfoy Manor**

Draco bristled nervously in his seat. "Mother, what the hell is taking them so long?" They had retired back to the formal lounge soon after his father had taken Hermione aside and he was growing impatient.

"Draco!" Narcissa frowned at her son. "I raised you better than that. Stop fussing and relax!"

He opened his mouth to respond when the doors opened. His eyes widened at the sight of Hermione and his father laughing and chatting amiably as they walked in.

"He didn't!" Hermione giggled, her face flushed with amusement.

"Oh I assure you he definitely did. Draco kept parading around for _weeks_ in Narcissa's heels."

Draco scowled at his father as Hermione guffawed. "Father!"

"Lucius." Narcissa admonished half-heartedly, a smile alighting her face. "You're embarrassing our son."

"Nonsense, darling!" Lucius sat beside her, sparing her a dazzlingly adoring grin. "It's only fair that she knows – he might start wearing her clothes once they're married."

Both Hermione and Draco spluttered ungracefully as the older couple giggled to themselves before noticing the pair's horrified expressions.

"Draco?" Narcissa asked once she had settled down, cocking her head at them. "Please tell me you have at least _thought_ about making an honest woman dear Hermione one day!"

Draco gaped at his mother, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish. Hermione's eyes widened, bristling in her seat beside the floundering younger blonde.

"Oh, we aren't at that point yet. You know…the point of…discussing all of that. We – uh – we're just…"

She trailed off at the amused expression on Lucius' face. "Oh please, Miss Granger."

"Please. I told you to call me Hermione."

"Yes, yes." He dismissed her. "It is only expected, that after a year of dating, that the two of you would be at that stage in your relationship – discussing the future. I know that you were raised better than that." He finished, turning to Draco with a glare.

"Bu-Father!" He turned to Narcissa for support.

"Oh no. Don't think you'll get any help from me." She responded with a frown. "Now, Miss Gr-Hermione, I have absolutely adored our evening – we certainly must do this again. But for now, I am thoroughly exhausted and desperately need to retire to bed."

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**Sunday, May 9****th**** 2004 – 9:03pm**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

Well, that had gone swimmingly.

He was acting like a coward and for once, he wasn't afraid to admit it. He had barely glanced at her after Disapparating from his parents' home and into her living room before bidding her goodbye and leaving.

They had been having such a surprisingly wonderful evening and his parents just had to go and open their bloody traps.

Draco wasn't sure why them talking about marriage had stirred him up so much. Perhaps it was because he knew this relationship wasn't real, or maybe it was because he was starting to actually feel some strange form of fondness for the Witch – but the conversation had made him squirm in his seat.

Damn his blasted parents!

How had he not realised that his parents, or his mother at least, would have had marriage on her mind? She was always pushing him to find a 'nice Witch' and settle down.

He had been absolutely mortified to find that the idea of 'settling down' with someone like Hermione wasn't all that horrible. In fact, it was somewhat of a charming notion. She was certainly the type of woman he could fall in love with.

'Whoa, what?!' He thought, stopping in his tracks. 'Mother of Merlin, I need some liquor.'

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_**The Double Date of the Century!**_

_**Monday, May 10**__**th**__** 2004**_

_It seems as though the world and I just can't get enough of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. They say there is no rest for the wicked, and that was certainly the case for yours truly as I worked to bring you more news about our favourite couple. You're all very welcome._

_The dynamic couple were spotted sharing a romantic dinner at the Argyle with none other than our beloved parents-to-be, the Potters. It certainly was a brilliant night to be a diner at the upscale restaurant, graced by the presence this new quartet._

_But I must say, I wondered what happened to the Wizard that is supposedly a part of our famed Gryffindor War Heroes. Ronald Weasley – Ginevra's brother, Hermione's ex-boyfriend and Harry Potter's supposed best friend – was nowhere to be seen. Has he been replaced by Draco Malfoy? Does this have anything to do with his outburst last week at the Liberty Ball?_

_I was able to catch up with the snubbed Wizard this weekend and see what he had to say about the whole matter. And let's just say that he was __not__ happy. He described the situation as "infuriating" and practically screamed at me after seeing the above pictures. "How dare they?"_

_When asked about the blossoming relationship, he almost imploded. "They should all know better than to think that their joke of a relationship is going to last."_

_He had less than kind words for his ex-girlfriend. "Bloody inconsiderate if you ask me. She practically led me on for all those years." And if that wasn't enough, he went on to say: "Hermione is mine. And she'll do well to remember it."_

_Is that a threat I hear? I certainly hope not or he won't find himself going scot-free as he did after the Ball._

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**Tuesday, May 11****th**** 2004 – 2:39pm**

**Office of Hermione Granger**

Draco Malfoy was ignoring her. Again.

And he had another thing coming if he thought he was being subtle about it.

"What the hell was that about?" Mitchell asked.

They had just ended what had been yet another awkward, tense meeting and Draco had raced out of the room as if his broom was on fire.

Hermione stared down at the paperwork in front of her, shrugging in response.

"Please don't tell me this has anything to do with that article yesterday. I'm quite fond of the idea of you two kids getting together and having a bunch of blonde snobby know-it-all bookworms."

She scowled at him before sighing at his grinning face. "Oh shut up, Mitch. He's just a little freaked out, that's all. We had dinner with his parents on Sunday night and they got on our case for not having discussed marriage and whatnot yet."

Mitchell let out a snort at that. "Oh yeah; that would have been enough to get his commit-o-phobic gears churning."

"You don't say." She murmured, more to herself than in response to him.

"Hey, don't worry." He leant forward and patted her hand. "I know him well enough to be able to tell that what he feels for you is strong."

She stared at his retreating back, baffled by his last words.

Malfoy had strong feelings for her? 'Well slap my arse and call me Betsy' she thought sarcastically. Surely Mitchell was mistaken – whatever it was that was going on between the two of them was a complete farce, physical attraction aside. And that was just a matter of lust – and a yearlong dry-spell on both their parts.

With everything that was going on between the two of them, she couldn't even bring herself to really care about Ron's ridiculous interview with Parvati.

Wearily rubbing her forehead, she pushed all thoughts of Draco and her idiotic ex aside. It wouldn't do her any good to get behind on her paperwork _again_.

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**Thursday, May 13****th**** 2004 – 7:30pm**

**Zabini Manor**

Draco dusted himself off as he landed in the parlour of the Zabini Manor for their monthly Poker night. It was a game that Blaise had discovered during a long vacation in the Muggle regions of Las Vegas. A game that he had fallen in love with and insisted on teaching his friends.

And they had all seriously enjoyed it.

If for nothing else, those Muggles had something to be proud of. It was an ingenious game.

He made his way through to Blaise's wing in the large manor. Despite his desire for independence, he refused to – as he called it – 'abandon' his mother and leave her alone until the time absolutely called for it. And with his impending wedding to Daphne, the time was approaching fast.

"Draco!" Theo greeted him as he entered the hazy lounge room. Blaise had made it into somewhat of a men-only zone, with its dark leather and oak furniture and dim lighting.

He loved it.

"Theo. Blaise." He nodded back at his two friends. "Who are we waiting on?"

"It's just us tonight. Pucey and Flint were roped into a double date by their girlfriends." Blaise explained.

"Girlfriends? Who on earth would want to go out with those idiots?"

Theo chuckled in response as Draco sat down at the table. "The Palmer twins, apparently. Year below us in Hufflepuff."

Draco snorted. "Of course they were in Hufflepuff. How long has that been going on for?"

"A few months. I'm surprised they managed to keep their mouths shut. Apparently you're not the only one with a few secrets under your sleeve."

"Speaking of," Blaise lent forward, a wide grin on his face. "You and Granger, hey?"

"Yes."

He said nothing else, pouring himself a generous glass of Firewhiskey and taking a large gulp. He had fervently avoided speaking to her unless absolutely necessary for the past week and Merlin, he seriously missed the witch!

Blaise scowled at him, flicking his wand to magically shuffle the deck of cards and deal the first set. "Come on, Drake. Give us something."

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Oh I don't know – how you ended up _in love_ with the one girl you swore you hated?" Theo replied before glancing down at his set of cards. He threw a few chips into the middle of the table.

"Hell if I know." Draco quipped. "It just happened. We were forced to work together and realised we had a lot more in common than we thought. And then I figured out that I enjoy her company far more than I thought I ever would."

With a wide smirk, Draco scooped up the chips from the middle of the table, having won the first hand.

"And?"

"And I made a move."

Theo flashed a wolfish grin. "I bet you did. I reckon she's a total minx in bed."

"Theo…" Draco growled, his eyes darkening.

"I mean, you know what they say about those quiet librarian types – get them all worked up and they go off like a firecracker."

"Theo…"

"I can definitely imagine her being wicked feisty and all s-"

"NOTT!" Draco stood from his seat and slammed his fists into the table at the same time.

"Dude. Learn when to shut up." Blaise mumbled under his breath, leaning in his seat away from the other two.

"Whoa. Sorry man." Draco sat back down, eyes flaring angrily. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Draco stewed silently in his seat as they continued their game. 'Bloody hell, what's wrong with me?' He wasn't sure why he was so worked up. He had never shied away from making a few lewd comments and joking around with his mates in the past. It was somewhat standard for them to talk about their 'conquests' and whatnot. After all, they were still fairly young men.

But for some reason, it didn't feel right talking about her like that. She deserved more respect than that. He knew for certain that if he ever did somehow become that intimate with her, he wouldn't even consider sharing any of the details with his friends or speaking about her so callously as he had about other women. Hermione was far more than that.

He finally understood why Blaise kept relatively tight-lipped about Daphne.

A heavy silence fell between them as they played a few more hands, the tension slowly lifting.

"Seriously, though." Blaise started, sending Draco a cheeky grin. "What's Granger like in the sack?"

Draco scowled at his friend. "I'm not going to disrespect her like that. What Hermione and I share is personal so give it up."

Blaise let out a long, slow wolf-whistle. "Damn. It must be love."

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**A/N: As always, please review! **


	13. XIII

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your support and love! I'm sorry that it's taken me a while to update – things have been ridiculously hectic lately. I promise I'll try to update more often! Please read and review!**

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**Chapter 13**

_Previously:_

"_Seriously, though." Blaise started, sending Draco a cheeky grin. "What's Granger like in the sack?"_

_Draco scowled at his friend. "I'm not going to disrespect her like that. What Hermione and I share is personal so give it up."_

_Blaise let out a long, slow wolf-whistle. "Damn. It must be love."_

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**Thursday, May 13****th**** 2004**

**Zabini Manor**

Draco spluttered unceremoniously. "W-what?"

"Are you trying to say that you _don't _love her?"

Well, he most certainly didn't. He felt nothing – absolutely nothing – for the witch…right? Well that was a blatant lie if he ever saw one.

He hadn't been able to _stop_ thinking about the woman since whatever was going on between them had begun just over four weeks ago. Hermione had managed to pervade every aspect of his life – his feelings, all of his thoughts and every single waking moment – and he couldn't get enough of the intoxicating witch.

Goldbloom's threats tolled through his head.

"Wh-no! I didn't say that!"

"So you _do_ love her?" He could have sworn that Theo's face was about to split from the gleeful grin splayed across it.

"Of course I do! Fold." He hissed, throwing his pitiful hand of cards on the table. "I'd be a fool to not to."

Blaise's eyebrows shot up as he leant forward to gather the chips on the table. "How would that make you a fool? You're allowed to feel whatever you want."

"Yeah, yeah Shakespeare. I'd be an id-"

"Who?"

"What?"

"Who the hell is Shakes-pair?"

"Muggle poet and playwright but that's beside the point."

"Exactly. The point, Blaise, is that Draco here was about to tell us why he'd be a fool to not love Granger…remember?"

"Ah yes! Thank you for reminding me so, Theodore."

Draco growled as the two imbeciles (in his words) turned to look at him with expectant eyes.

"Well?"

He let out a deep sigh. "I'd be an idiot not to love Granger because, well, she's bloody perfect." Theo cocked his head in surprise. "Oh come on; if you ignore the whole self-righteous, save-the-world thing, she's absolutely…flawless."

"Go on."

He let his mind wander to the prior Sunday evening in his apartment living room. And for once, he let go of every inhibition, letting himself admit out every thought he had about the captivating witch.

"She's brilliant. So intelligent. So caring and so damn giving. She…she is so amazingly beautiful and gods, trust me, it takes everything I have to not jump her right there in the office every day." He chuckled a little. "There have been times when I haven't even been able to stop myself. And passionate…she is so passionate and just...I just…she's incredible."

He trailed off, his eyes focussing on his two friends who were staring slack-jawed at him.

"Whoa."

"Mate."

They both murmured almost simultaneously. Draco scowled at them, growing more and more uncomfortable under their scrutinising eyes.

"Can we just bloody play?"

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**Friday, May 14****th**** 2004**

**Potter Household**

"Mione." Ginny cajoled, placing a mug of tea in front of her. "You think I can't read you by now?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Hermione winced as she tried to nonchalantly take a sip of the hot liquid, burning her tongue in the process.

"Idiot." Ginny snorted.

"Shut up, red."

She giggled in response before looking at Hermione with a watchful gaze. "Seriously though, Mione. What's wrong? You've been out of sorts all week!" Her gaze darkened. "Is it Malfoy?"

Hermione let out a deep sigh, nodding in response. Harry chose that moment to walk into the room.

"What the hell has Malfoy done?" He looked ready to kill someone.

"Yeah!" Ginny chimed in. "What did that smarmy bastard do?! I thought everything was perfect on Saturday!"

"He didn't do anything."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow at her.

"No quite literally. He has not done _anything_. He's barely spoken to me since Sunday night."

"What happened on Sunday night?!" Hermione winced at the shrillness of her friend's voice.

"Dinner at Malfoy Manor happened."

"WHAT?!" They screeched simultaneously. She couldn't help but giggle at their horrified expressions.

"Yup. With his parents."

"Oh my GOSH!" Hermione was honestly surprised that the windows didn't shatter at Ginny's tone. She dropped her voice to a whisper as if she may be overheard. "Were they horrible?"

"Actually, no." Harry scoffed at this. "Seriously! They were absolutely lovely! Lucius spent a good twenty minutes humiliating Draco with stories from his childhood."

"Wow." He whispered. "Well, you'll have to share them in a second. But if they were fine, what went wrong?"

She had their full attention. "They wanted to know about our plans for marriage."

"Oh?"

"Yep."

"Wait – that's it?" Ginny asked. "As if you wouldn't want to marry him! Draco Malfoy is damn sexy!"

"Aaand that's my cue to leave. I've got a meeting anyway." Harry gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before farewelling his wife and Disapparating from the room.

"But seriously, Mione, have you not thought about marrying the man?"

Hermione let out a slow sigh. She had no idea what to say. She certainly hadn't before their dinner with the Malfoys but with the strange way Draco had been acting and Mitchell's comment the other day, she had given it a fair amount of thought.

There was something about him that called to her, something that simply drew her in. No matter how hard she had tried, she didn't want to resist his enthralling pull.

"I don't know about marriage…" Ginny's face dropped. "But there's something about him that I just can't get enough of. I'm so afraid of how vulnerable he makes me, and yet some part of me just loves it."

The redhead's face blossomed into a wide smile. "Oh! I'm so happy for you!"

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**Monday, May 17****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

He was pacing. Again.

He couldn't stop pacing. He was due at the office in just under a quarter hour and Draco was so damn nervous.

Yes – that's right. Draco Lucius Malfoy was freaking out.

How was he supposed to just walk in there and face Hermione after everything that happened over the past week?

His parents had thrown him into somewhat of a turmoil with their comments at dinner on Sunday night. In their defence, it was somewhat expected within the noble Wizarding community that one would be seriously considering marriage after an entire year of dating. It was even more so the case within Pureblood society so he really couldn't blame them for their enquiries.

Draco just couldn't believe that he hadn't even considered that they would bring marriage up. And he didn't understand why it made his stomach somersault so viciously!

If he were being completely honest with himself, it wasn't such a…horrific notion.

There was something mesmerising about Hermione Granger. And something so appealing about the way she held herself. She was so unassumingly beautiful in her very being in somewhat of an unconventional way. She was by no means perfect in her appearance, but it was her adorable quirks that made her even more striking. She was a proud woman, a trait that he easily understood and appreciated. She was so genuine in her determination to help everyone and everything – it was so different to the women he usually associated with.

And that woman was so damn sensual in such a demure manner. The way she nibbled on her lower lip when she was nervous. The way loose bits of hair would cling to her neck on a warm day. The way she would wet her damned lips with a flick of her tongue. The way a simple touch on the arm drove him absolutely insane.

'I'm screwed.' Draco thought, dropping his head forward against the doorway.

He growled, angry at himself. 'No. Pull yourself together, Malfoy. You're a just a hot-blooded man.' He tried reassuring himself.

Yes. That was it.

Nothing more than that.

XXX

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XXX

**Monday, May 17****th**** 2004**

**Office of Phineas Goldbloom**

Phineas was not a happy camper.

How the hell were those two rat-bastard employees of his doing it?! They had managed to cope with everything he had thought to throw their way and twist it into some perfect façade.

They _had_ been slipping up in the past few days, more so on Malfoy's part than Granger's, but that blasted Patil woman had refused to act to his "drunken" admissions to her. Yes, he was not so proud to admit that he had been her 'reputable source' in her initial article citing discord in their curious relationship. That bloody bint had downright _laughed_ at him when he had tried to give her more information!

Phineas was less than a happy camper. He was bloody furious. He's have to find a new way to undermine his underling's – ahem – employee's act.

It wasn't as if he _hated_ the pair. He just…didn't like them. And he certainly did not appreciate the fact that they were going to make a fool out of him. He was so sure his plan would work.

'No. It _will_ work.' He thought to himself.

He would make sure of it.

XXX

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XXX

**Thursday, May 20****th**** 2004**

**Office of Hermione Granger**

She rubbed mindlessly at her temples, trying to ignore the slow throbbing in her head. Hermione had barely slept in the past few days and her mind was just about ready to combust.

If she hadn't been certain that Phineas was a tight-arsed piece of crap, she damn sure was now. He had lost any remnants of his bloody pitiful mind.

The man had quite literally _swamped_ Malfoy and her with mounds of paperwork, claiming that they were to do an 'audit' of the department's decisions and finances over the past _five _years. FIVE BLOODY YEARS!

And apparently the pair of them were the only ones remotely capable of doing it.

Hermione wasn't an idiot – she was well aware of why he was doing it. She had seen his frustrated glares and nervous fidgeting. Parvati's endless articles about her relationship with Draco was putting him on edge.

She was close to telling him that he might as well forget about it. Draco was still adamantly ignoring her, as if she had the damned plague or something.

That being said, there was no way in hell she was going to actually do it. There was no need to give Phineas anything to get excited about. He wasn't going to win this stupid little game of his if she had anything to say about it.

"Mione."

"What?" She snarled, not bothering to look up from her desk.

"Whoa! What crawled up your arse and died?"

Hermione glanced up and sighed at the face in front of her. "Sorry Gin. I'm a little stressed." She waved a hand around her office, Ginny's eyes widening as she took it all in.

Cardboard boxes overflowing with mounds of documents were stacked along her office walls, only the slightest sliver of wallpaper visible in between them. They were piled dangerously on top of each other, a few boxes teetering on the verge of toppling over. There were more stacks balanced precariously on her chairs; some had already fallen and littered patches of the floor. For a bunch of magical people, they had a ridiculous amount of hoarded paperwork, she thought dismally.

She had seen the state of Draco's office – it wasn't much better off than hers. If anything, he was a little worse. Phineas always had had an unexplained disdain for the ex-Slytherin.

"What happened in here?!" Ginny asked, carefully stepping into the office. "And where on earth am I supposed to sit?!"

With a wave of her wand, Hermione cleared one of the armchairs and stacked the folders beside her desk. Muttering her thanks, Ginny collapsed into the chair.

"My legs are killing me. I swear they're like bloody balloons." She huffed.

Hermione snorted with amusement, placing her quill in its stand. "The joys of being pregnant, hey?"

"Yeah." She nodded miserably. "I'm bloody starving too."

"You always are."

"Shove it, Granger." Ginny laughed. "Let's get lunch."

She raised an eyebrow, waving her hand around the room. "I don't have time for lunch."

"Seriously, Mione, what the hell happened?"

With a sigh, Hermione dropped her head onto her hand. "Phineas happened. You know he's not a fan of either Draco or I. Apparently us together is even worse."

"That's bull! Screw him. Just come for lunch. You look like you haven't eaten in days." She patted her stomach. "I _feel_ like I haven't eaten in days."

Hermione chuckled for a fleeting moment. "That's because I've barely had time." She let out a tired sigh. "I can't, Gin. Phineas is just waiting for an opportunity to kick me out. Draco and I only have until the end of the month to finish all of this."

"Bastard." Ginny snarled angrily, jumping up from her seat. "We'll see about that. I'm going to talk to Harry."

She spun on her heel and stormed out of the office.

"Gin!" Hermione called out after her. "Please don't do anything stupid!"

All she received in response was a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Ginny!"

XXX

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**Saturday, May 22****nd**** 2004**

**Office of Draco Malfoy**

His back groaned as Draco sat upright in his seat. He had been hunched over this damn desk for days on end, barely getting a chance to take a break. With a flick of his wand, the time was projected in front of him.

Dinnertime had well and truly come.

He had noticed that the light under Hermione's door was still on when he had taken his last bathroom break. And he was quite sure she knew he was here.

It was by no mean her fault that they had barely spoken a word to each other the whole day. They were both drowning in mounds of paperwork and it was he who had started this ridiculous stand-off they were in.

Bloody hell, he was a moron.

He threw down his quill, ignoring the deep black mark that splashed across the paper in front of him. Fuck Goldbloom and his idiotic vendetta.

He stalked across the room and out of his office. He wasn't really sure what he was doing but he didn't particularly care. Light was still peeking underneath her door. Without bothering to knock or utter a word, he threw the door open.

Hermione jumped in surprise, clapping a hand over her chest. "Draco!"

"Hey."

His eyes roved over her. Given that it was the weekend, she was dressed casually in a simple white button-down tucked into a teal blue flared skirt. Even though she had unbuttoned her shirt given the heat within her office, it was see-through in patches where it was damp with perspiration and clung to her body. Her skirt had ridden up her thighs as the day progressed.

He was most certainly enjoying the view.

She raised an eyebrow at him as he stood mutely in the doorway. "Can I help you?"

"Let's get dinner."

A chuckle erupted from her lips. "You've got to be kidding me right?"

He scowled. "No. Let's go get something to eat."

Shaking her head, she had the nerve to scoff at him. "You think I'm going to grab dinner with you after you've barely _looked_ at me for two weeks? You've lost your damn mind." With that said, she glanced back down and continued her work.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Draco suppressed his pride. "Look. I'm sorry, alright?"

Hermione grunted in response, not looking up from her desk. He scowled at her – Malfoys didn't take well to being ignored.

"I said I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?"

She let out a heavy, not bothering to glance up. Draco suppressed the growl that was threatening to erupt from his throat. He stalked up to her desk, plucking the quill from her grasp. "Hey!"

"Granger. I'm fucking sorry, alright? I've been acting like a dick. Okay?"

She stood up to face him, her hands placed firmly on the desk in front of her. As hard as he tried, he wasn't able to stop himself from glancing down her shirt, revelling in the tantalising view presented to him.

"No it's not okay, Malfoy." She hissed, giving him a rather steely stare. Sweet Merlin, he loved this feisty side of her – it set something deep inside of him in motion. "You have _two_ minutes to explain yourself."

"I've just had a lot on my mind. Now do you want dinner or not?"

Hermione stepped out from behind her desk, coming to a stop right in front of him, her mouth pursed angrily. "Bullshit. I'm not going anywhere with you until you bloody well explain yourself."

"Hermione." He tried reasoning.

"No! Either tell me the truth or get the hell out of my office!"

"What the fuck do you want me to say?" He yelled, stepping forward so that she was pinned between him and the desk. "That I can't get you off of my mind? That I want you? 'Cause _fuck_ Hermione, I want you more than I understand."

Her eyes widened as she stumbled back against her desk, her gaze fixed on the man standing in front of her. "What?"

"I want you." Draco said, emphasising his words with a pause in between each. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, or any part of you, since that day in your apartment. You won't believe how many damn cold showers I've had to have after being with you."

"Dr-" She tried to speak but he barely paused long enough to take a breath before rambling on.

"I wanted to take you that damn day and I still bloody well want to. You just don't get what you are doing to me. You have no idea how much self-control I have had to _force_ on myself the past few weeks. You bloody well d-"

The rest of his words were muffled by her lips slamming into his. He stood frozen with surprise as Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her body flush against him. He stood unmoving until she nibbled on his lower lip, his arousal flaring instantaneously.

He was rewarded with a moan as he flicked his tongue against her lips. Tangling one hand in her unruly hair, he grabbed her arse with the other. He took advantage of her contented sighs and slipped his tongue into her mouth, revelling in that sweet taste that was so wonderfully associated with her.

Hermione grabbed desperately at his shirt, clumsily struggling to undo the buttons. With a growl of frustration, she grabbed his open collar and tore the fabric open. Sweet Circe, everything about this woman turned him on.

His body shuddered as her hands roamed over his body, nails scraping at his skin. Her touch left trails of fire across his body. Reaching behind her, he cleared her desk with one hand, not caring where everything fell.

She giggled against his lips. "Hope you know you're cleaning that up." She mumbled. He responded only with a grunt before he assaulted her with another barrage of kisses.

Letting his hand drop, his fingers played with the edge of her skirt before delicately inching up her thighs. She sighed into his mouth, their tongues clashing as they wrestled for dominance. Draco nearly growled in appreciation as he felt her buttocks peeking out from her lacy knickers.

He lifted her by the buttocks and dropped her onto the empty desk. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him so that he was pressed firmly against the heat emanating from between her legs. Within seconds, her hands were entwined in his hair as he kissed down the side of her mouth and along her jawline.

She pulled lightly as Draco found the sensitive spot at the nape of her neck, sucking and nibbling at the supple flesh. Her back arched almost involuntarily, her breasts pressing enticingly against his bared chest.

Pulling wildly at her blouse, he untucked the soft fabric from the waist of her skirt. She temporarily let go of him as he pulled the shirt up over her head. His hands wandered over her skin, her body trembling under his gentle caresses.

"Draco." Her voice sent ripples through his body. His pants were painfully tight against his pelvis.

He tried stepping back before he lost control, stopped by the tight grip of her legs around him. Hermione was mesmerising, the edges of her swollen lips playfully turned up as she cocked her head at him.

"Gr-Hermione." His voice was husky with arousal, his throat painfully dry.

"What?"

"Look, I j-," He cleared his throat. "Any more and I'm going to be able to stop myself."

She took a deep breath in, unrelenting on her grip on his hips. He let his eyes rove over her body. She was a tempting sight; her heaving chest held only by her lacy cream bra, a matching pair of knickers visible under the ruffled hem of her skirt.

"Fuck." He murmured, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Do you know how hard it is to not bend you over this fucking desk and take you _right now_?"

His heart nearly leapt into his throat as she tipped her head and gave him a lascivious smirk. "I'm not stopping you."

Thank. Merlin.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know your thoughts. Constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome.**


	14. XIV

**A/N: Thank you for your wonderful response to the last chapter! I was absolutely thrilled! Hope you enjoy this update!**

**Merry Christmas everyone!**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**Sunday, May 23****rd**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

Hermione woke up to soft puffs of air on the back of her neck.

She didn't need to think twice to realise whose arm was thrown around her waist. Draco's warm bare body was pressed against hers, his legs entwined with hers. There was something overwhelmingly comforting about waking up, encased within his sturdy arms.

As promised, he had taken her right then and there on the top of her desk.

And then twice more in his bed after dinner.

_Apparently_ it had been a long time coming. And boy, had she enjoyed herself.

Sex with Draco had been raw and intense, like two stars colliding at high speed. Every inch of her skin had been set alight with each touch, their bodies moulding perfectly against each other. Draco had been rough and hard, and yet surprisingly attentive. He had made sure her needs were well and truly fulfilled before thinking about himself.

She couldn't remember it ever being so passionate with anyone. And she certainly had never felt so delightfully satisfied afterwards.

It had been absolutely toe-curling.

Moving ever so slowly, she lifted Draco's arm off of her and placed it against his hip. Carefully disentangling their legs, she inched out of the bed, only to be standing in all her glory. Where the hell were her damn clothes?

Letting out an annoyed huff, Hermione vaguely remembered discarding them somewhere or rather as they made their way to the bedroom. She grabbed his forgotten shirt from the floor and shrugged it over her shoulders, buttoning it up as she snuck out of his bedroom.

She was by no means embarrassed about what had happened last night but that didn't mean she had to be lying beside him, staring him in the face, when he woke up.

With a flick of her wand, Hermione poured herself a mug of coffee and grabbed yesterday's issue of the Daily Prophet. Her relationship with Draco had been thankfully absent from Parvati's gossip column over the past few days.

Ronald, however, hadn't been so lucky. According to Ginny, he had decided that the best way to deal with her blossoming relationship with 'that dirty ferret' was to get involved with some mindless floozy. Emily or something. Despite dozens of images of the pair, the tabloids hadn't quite caught her name.

Hermione couldn't quite understand what his endgame was. Seeing him attached at the lips to a bleach-blonde, cake-faced woman wasn't exactly drawing her to him. If anything, it made him even more unappealing than usual. But he had somehow convinced himself that that was all he needed to drive her back into his arms.

Idiot.

Tossing the paper aside, she sipped at her steaming mug – the last thing she needed, or even wanted, to think about was Ronald Weasley. As she revelled in each aromatic mouthful, she was startled out of her thoughts of the night before by the sound of the bedroom door opening.

"Hey." She glanced up at his voice.

That familiar fire burned in her stomach at the sight of Draco's firm body in nothing but a pair of pale blue boxers. His voice was wonderfully gravelly.

"Hi." She murmured, desperately trying to fight the blush that was edging across her cheeks.

He came to a stop behind her, his body only inches away. "Thought you ran off."

Hermione snorted ungracefully. "Five years ago, maybe. But I have nothing to be ashamed of."

He chuckled, his hands came to a rest on her hips. "You most certainly don't." He dropped his head, peppering the side of her neck with feathery kisses. "You're positively delectable."

She wanted to laugh - he was clearly an experienced charmer – but she was enjoying his attentions a little too much. "You don't regret it?" She asked, fighting a moan as he nibbled at her skin.

"Gods no." His fingers were kneading at her flesh, creeping closer to her inner thighs.

Slipping off the end of the stool, she pushed him away with one hand. She nearly giggled when he pouted with disappointment. He apparently wasn't used to having his advances refused.

"Let's talk."

Draco let out an audible groan at those words – perhaps the two most dreaded words for any male. The last thing he wanted to do right now was _talk_. With a flick of his wand, he filled a mug with coffee and sat down in her abandoned seat. "What can I do you for?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Funny." She muttered sarcastically. "Look, we're both consenting adults and I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy myself last night." His lips split into a smug smirk. "We're going to have to keep up this 'relationship' for another eleven months, and in the meantime neither of us is at liberty to turn anywhere else."

He raised an eyebrow at her over the edge of the coffee mug. Was she suggested what he thought (and desperately hoped) she was?

"What I'm trying to say is…well, we might as well make the most of our situation." She shuffled on the spot, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be a little clearer than that."

Oh, what she would have given to slap that smirk off of his pretty face. "Just because we're not really in an _emotional_ relationship doesn't mean we can't enjoy a _physical_ one."

His smug little smirk widened, if that were even possible. "I'm sorry – I'm still not getting it."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "I'm not going to repeat myself. If you don't want to, that's fine. I'll show myself out."

She turned on her heel, ready to walk out of the kitchen when he jumped off the stool and grabbed her arm. "Whoa Hermione, not so fast. I want to. I most definitely want to."

And with that, his lips and hands were all over her.

XXX

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**Sunday, May 23****rd**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

He waited until the fireplace died down before letting his face split into a wide grin.

He, Draco Malfoy, was now in a mutually beneficial physical relationship with Hermione Granger. Friends with benefits, as the Muggles say. Could his day possibly get any better?

He thanked his lucky stars that he had finally swallowed his pride and approached her the night before. Last night – and this morning – had been bloody brilliant.

After Hermione had surprised him with her proposition, he had wasted no time. They had stumbled back towards his room, their limbs passionately entangled as they fell into his bed.

The woman was so damn sensual. Her moans and whimpers of pleasure. The way she wrapped her legs around him. The way she writhed underneath him. The way she had rolled him over and taken charge.

Draco clenched his jaw and breathed heavily, fighting back his growing arousal. Goddamn, she was going to be trouble.

But she was so bloody incredible.

He whistled contentedly as he strode into the kitchen to whip up something for dinner. Amidst the clanging of pots and running water, he didn't hear his fireplace roar to life.

"Well, somebody's in a much better mood today."

Theo sauntered through the kitchen doors, a wide grin spreading on his face.

He couldn't even bring himself to muster up a scowl. He was just in too good of a mood. "Shut up."

"Want to try that again with a bit more of that delightful Malfoy venom?"

Reaching over the countertop, he slapped Theo on the back of his head. But he just couldn't muster any ill-feeling whatsoever this morning. He had just hit the proverbial jackpot with Hermione's offer.

"Much better. Seriously though, you look much cheerier than last week."

Draco shrugged, a small smile coming to his face as he thought of last night…and this morning. "I had a good night."

XXX

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**Sunday, May 23****rd**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

"Where the hell were _you_?!"

Hermione nearly screamed as she Flooed into her apartment, clasping her hands over her racing heart. "Sweet Merlin, Gin! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Ginny dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, yeah." Her eyes widened as she looked Hermione up and down, an eyebrow shooting into her hairline. "Excuse me, missy! Are those the clothes you were wearing yesterday?!" Her voice took on a playful tone as she stood up from her seat, hands set on her hips.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You little slut!" Ginny squealed, slapping her on the arm.

"Ginny! I'd har-"

"So did you sleep well last night? Or were you a little busy?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Hermione fought the blush that was creeping along her cheeks, turning away from her pregnant friend to hide her growing smile.

"Don't think you're fooling me! Somebody got laid last night!" She turned to Ginny, trying hopelessly to plaster a glare on her face. But she was just too damn relaxed and thoroughly satiated from last night for that.

Ginny almost pushed her onto the couch, bouncing onto the cushion next to her. "You can't avoid talking about this anymore. I demand you tell me _everything_."

"I've told you before. I'm not going to t-"

"Oh come on!" Ginny whined, bouncing up and down on the couch like a pubescent schoolgirl. "Every girl at Hogwarts has _dreamed_ about sex with Draco Malfoy."

"I certainly didn't!"

"Maybe you didn't but the rest of us definitely did. Was it amazingly fantastic?"

Hermione didn't even both hiding her blush. "Yes." She breathed, her blush deepening as her mind flashed back over the previous day.

She winced at Ginny's painfully high-pitched squeal. "I need more detail than that! I want to know literally everything."

"I'm going to need more coffee."

Ginny screeched, clapping her hands together as she jumped up from the couch. "I'll get it!"

XXX

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**Monday, May 24****th**** 2004**

**Office of Hermione Granger**

Hermione had come into the office early this morning, painfully aware that she only had a few more days to finish the ridiculous load of paperwork that littered her workspace. She had passed Phineas' office, catching him and Davy chatting in the room as they shared their customary unpleasant stares. Little did the fool know that his meddling and spiteful plots had only served to push Draco and her together again.

She had made sure to flash him a victorious grin. It was the least she could do.

Thirty minutes later, she had barely made a dent into the ridiculous stacks of paper on, and surrounding, her desk. Hermione sighed before gulping down the remnants of coffee in her mug. Stupid, stupid Phineas.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn't taken the time to eat breakfast that morning. Hermione stood from her desk – the tea room always had food that was passably edible.

"Hey there."

She jumped a little, startled by the familiar drawl coming from her doorway. "Hi." She squeaked, bending over to pick up the mug she had dropped.

Hermione nearly started again when she righted herself. Draco was smack-bang in front of her, his face only inches away from hers. His fingers brushed against her cheek as he tucked a stray curl of hair behind her ear. His breath danced along her neck as he leant close to whisper in her ear.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

Her body shivered involuntarily. His voice was so seductively silky, warmth emanating from his firm body. It was reassuring to know that she hadn't bene the only one taken up by their activities over the weekend.

There was no time to respond before his lips descended on hers. It was as though that simple action lit a fire within the pits of her abdomen. The mug hung limply from her fingers, forgotten, as her other hand found the back of his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her firmly against him, as his lips kneaded against hers.

Some small pragmatic part of her was hollering at her, reminding her that they had far too much work to engage in more enjoyable activities – oh, but his lips were divine…

Draco pulled his face back, arms unrelenting in their grasp on her. Softs puffs of breath called to her as he rested his forehead against hers. "I really did come here to talk, honestly." A smile grew on his face as she giggled against his lips – the sound was like exquisite music to his ears.

"Get a room, guys!" The catcall came from Mitchell as he walked past her office door.

Draco stepped back, struggling to regain control over his body as he threw a friendly scowl at their co-worker. "About all of this." He waved a hand, gesturing around her office. "We're both intelligent, hard-working adults – we'd get through all of it much faster if we worked together."

Her expression settled into one of thoughtfulness. "You're right." She murmured to herself, perplexed that she hadn't even though about that resolution earlier.

Well, she knew why. They weren't even _speaking _to each other forty-eight hours before, let alone on terms to work together.

With a wave of his wand and an infuriatingly smug smirk on his face, their separate mounds of paperwork combined as they fluttered into the department's spacious conference room.

She scowled playfully at him. "Shut up and get me something to eat."

XXX

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XXX

**Thursday, May 27****th**** 2004**

**Department of Public Relations, Ministry of Magic**

Phineas scowled as he peered out of his office door.

The stacks of paper in the glass-encased conference room had steadily dwindled over the past couple of days, now at an easily manageable level. He had been watching them (in a completely non-stalker-like manner, thank you very much) since they started working together in that room and he was _not_ pleased. They were getting along perfectly harmoniously.

More than harmoniously. They were – dare he say – closer than he though ever possible of the two.

This was not okay. At all.

His eyebrows knitted together in a frown as Draco leant closer to the brunette and said something. Her face lit up as she laughed – a real, joyful laugh. The corners of his lips twitched into a smile as he watched her head fell back, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

The blonde man stood up, offering her his arm as he said something. She accepted, letting him lead her out of the room, turning off the lights and locking the doors with a few flicks of her wand.

No.

Something was not right.

XXX

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**Friday, May 28****th**** 2004**

**The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley**

"I can't believe you just said that!" Hermione squealed, smacking him with an arm.

An impish grin was spread across Draco's face. "What?"

"You just made a…a _comment_ about my arse!"

He giggled – yes, giggled – at her. Having almost thrown the ledger of the completed files on Phineas' desk, they had decided that drinks were most definitely in order. And here Hermione and Draco were, four and six tumblers of Firewhiskey later.

"I wasn't joking." Oh, she could just slap – or kiss – that smug smirk off of his face.

"You said it was bootylicious!" Her face was thoroughly flushed, though she wasn't certain it was solely because of the alcohol.

"Well I think it is!" He declared, leaning close to her.

Her flush deepened, if that were possible. His proximity was intoxicating – she was struggling to even think clearly. Again, that _may_ have been the Firewhiskey talking. "H-how do you even know what this is?!"

Draco shrugged, his grin growing. "You know how I spent a few months after the war travelling in Muggle areas?" She nodded. She had been pleasantly surprised when he had told her about his travels over one of their late night chats at the start of this whole shenanigan. "I may have enjoyed watching girls at bars shaking their behinds to that gem."

Her eyes widened a little. "You're sick!" He received another slap on the arm.

"Nooo." He corrected, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "I'm a guy."

XXX

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**Friday, May 28****th**** 2004**

**The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley**

Harry groaned out loud as his eyes fell on a conspicuous couple seated in a corner booth. The old pub was crowded – the only reason he noticed them was because of that blasted tell-tale blonde hair.

He glanced sideways at Ron, praying to anyone and everyone that he hadn't noticed them. He hadn't…for the time being.

"Blimey, there's a crap load of people here!"

"Yeah." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Let's go somewhere else."

Ron clapped him on the back, grinning widely. "Hell no! This is exactly what I need. Come on."

He surged forward and pushed his way through the crowd to the bar. He downed one tumbler of Firewhiskey, quickly following it with another.

"Jeez, Ron. Slow down." Harry warned. Merlin knew the redhead became an intolerable handful when inebriated.

He just shook his head. "Don't worry, Harry. I just don't want to think abo-" Ron's eyes widened as he stared somewhere behind Harry.

Crap.

"What the bloody hell are they doing?!"

Harry turned around to eye the couple. Clearly tipsy, they were looking awfully close. "Ron."

"What, Harry?" He spat. "Want to go over there and hang out with your new buddy?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come off it, Ron. Just…just don't do anything stupid." He winced as the short-tempered wizard threw back another sizeable tumbler.

"Stupid? What's that supposed to mean?!" His hands were flailing wildly as he spoke.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Ronald Weasley, I'm telling you now – calm down. The last thing you – or your parents…or Gin and I, for that matter – need is for you to act rashly again. You do one thing to either Hermione or Malfoy and he might not let you off so easy again."

"Fine." Ron grumbled angrily, fiddling with the empty glass in his hands.

XXX

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**Friday, May 28****th**** 2004**

**The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley**

Hermione giggled as his lips ghosted along the curve of her neck. He had shuffled along the booth, sandwiching her between his taut body and the wall behind her. He turned and faced her, his hand snaking out to grasp her hip. His tongue flicked out, tracing along the line of her ear, before nibbling on her earlobe.

She couldn't help the squeak that escaped her lips as Draco dragged her onto his lap. His hands immediately tugged at her blouse, untucking it from her sensible suit pants.

The rapidly diminishing rational part of her was screaming that there were in a public place, for Merlin's sake, and this was by no means appropriate. After all, she _was_ Hermione Granger. But a much larger, increasingly dominant part of her relished the soft determination of his every touch.

"Do you know how badly I want to throw you on this table right now?" His voice was enticingly husky as he murmured against her neck.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him. "I purposely wore pants and this blouse so that you _wouldn't_ be eyeing me all day."

Her outfit had been more demure – slightly reminiscent of her days _before_ Pierre had worked his magic. The black pants had been a touch more snugly-fitted, and her blouse had been a smidge low-cut with a hint of ruffles. But damn, she looked good, especially seeing as he knew what was underneath.

"So you went for the naughty librarian look instead? Bad move, princess."

Her face flushed deeply. "Huh?" She asked oh-so eloquently (thanks to the two additional glasses of Firewhiskey she had had).

Her body quivered as Draco placed feather-light kisses along her collarbone, murmuring between each caress. "You know, musty books, dimly lit corners, the thrill of getting caught, up against the bookcases."

Draco smirked as she almost inaudibly whimpered. He captured her mouth with his, sucking on her lower lip. Hermione ran her tongue along his lips, deepening their kiss at the first chance. He growled against her lips, instantaneously shuffling out of the booth.

She teetered giddily as he swooped in for another kiss, hands entwining in her hair. She stumbled back from the impact, her hips colliding with the wood of the table. Her hands grabbed at his shirt, desperately trying to lessen the microscopic distance between them.

Hermione's heart pounded at the ferocity of his caresses, her rational mind wavering under the intense passion he lavished on her.

She wanted everything he had to offer. Every perfect inch of him. Sweet Merlin, she needed to tell him just that.

"MALFOY!"

Draco pulled away, spinning to find the source of the voice, as a fist flew towards his face.

SLAM.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing this! Please review!**


	15. XV

**A/N: I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update! I forgot to mention in my last chapter that my family and I were going overseas right after Christmas. We had the amazing trip in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. My parents left Sri Lanka 30 years ago and this was their first time going back – it was absolutely brilliant.**

**I really struggled writing this chapter. Completely stagnated towards the end of the first scene! Hope you all somehow enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Friday, May 28****th**** 2004**

**The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley**

Draco reeled back under the surprising force of Ron's fist. Hermione's blissful smile twisted into a slack-jawed gape. He barely had any time to register what was happening when the closed fist made contact with his face again.

Quickly sobering, Hermione lunged forward. "Ron! Stop!" She screeched, her hands clawing out in a vain attempt to stop him.

Harry surged towards them as well, his hands grasping at Ron's jacket. Ron simply shrugged the material off of his shoulders and kept swinging. And it was then that Harry noticed something odd – Malfoy wasn't even trying to fight back. All he bothered to do was raise his hands in front of him to protect his precious face. 'What the bloody _hell_ is wrong with him?!'

Hermione continued in her hopeless efforts to push the two men apart, glaring at the motionless people who simply stood around them, watching the spectacle. 'Well if us snogging wasn't enough, then this will make headlines.' She thought sardonically.

Parvati was going to have a field-day. This was Christmas come far too early for the gossiping witch.

Speaking of field-day, Ron was not relenting in his attack on Draco.

Her hands flew to her pockets, despondency flashing through her as she noticed they were pitifully devoid of her wand. Where the hell had she put the damned thing?! She rifled through her bottomless bag, doing everything she could short of dumping the contents on the table as she tried to find it. In times like this, the Undetectable Extension charm on her bag was far from useful.

Giving up on her search, Hermione moved forward again, throwing her arms out as she thoughtlessly stepped between Draco and her irrational ex. There was no time for anyone to react before Ron's next punch landed directly against her cheek.

Gasps echoed around the room instantaneously. And yet none of the onlookers moved to help.

"Hermione!" Draco's arms instinctively wrapped around her, twisting his body to shield her from further insult. But it was unnecessary.

Ron had frozen in horror, hands flying to clasp over his gaping mouth. Harry's eyes widened as he dragged the redhead away from the couple. He put up no fight, stumbling back to the edge of the gathered pub patrons, retreating like a pathetic mongrel with its tail between its legs. Both pairs of eyes were firmly set on Hermione, who was cradled in Draco's arms on the floor. The ex-Slytherin's face held a surprising level of concern that neither had ever seen before, or expected.

Her cheek was cradled in one of her hands, expression frozen in a mixture of surprise and pain. Easing his powerful grasp on her, Draco's eyes searched her for a hint of anything more than a potential bruise. Apart from her growing tears, she seemed okay…for now. She whispered something almost inaudible to him, her voice a pained whisper.

Once he was sure she was okay, he released her from his grip, lifting her to her. Draco turned to face Ron, voice laced with disgust. "How dare you?" His voice was dangerously low.

He advanced on him, his face twisted into an all-too familiar infuriated sneer. "Wh-" Ron's eyes flicked from the man in front of him to the brunette behind him, a single tear tracking down her face.

"You fucking piece of shit." Draco hissed, taking another step forward.

Ron tried stepping back, stopped by the unwavering crowd around them. "Mione…" He gasped. "I-I'm sorry."

Draco clenched his fists, trying beyond all hope to reign in his rising anger, his nails painfully digging into his palms. "You think that piss-weak apology is going to make everything better? You think you can just brush away your idiocy with three pathetic words?!" His voice rose dangerously with each word. The sliver of blood that trickled from his lip did nothing to detract from his intimidating stare.

Ron's eyes flashed back to Hermione and then to Harry, his eyes pleading for help. Harry took a step back, hands in the air as if surrendering. "I warned you, didn't I?" His face gave away his annoyance at his brother-in-law.

"Look at me." Draco hissed, his voice alarmingly low as Ron continued to avoid his gaze. "Weasley, you fucking scum. I _fucking _told you to look at me." The redhead actually trembled as he finally met his gaze. "If you _ever_ lay even a finger on Hermione, I promise you – you will _rot _in Azkaban. Got it?"

He smirked as Ron nodded mutely. Without a further word, he spun on his heel and wrapped an arm around Hermione who weepily turned into his chest. Sending a final glower at Ron, he encased her in his arms and Disapparated.

XXX

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**Friday, May 28****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

With an almost feather-like touch, Draco caressed her reddening cheek as she flopped down onto her couch. He knelt in front of her, eyes searching her face for any sign of distress. "Are you okay?"

"He hit me." She whispered, her voice laced with shock. "Ron hit me."

His gaze darkened at the repeated sentence, clenching his free hand painfully tight. "I know." He murmured lowly.

"I – I know he's…he's changed a lot since Hogwarts but…but he _hit_ me."

"You're doing a good job of convincing me to go back there and murder the bastard."

She lifted her eyes up to look at him, a glimmer of amusement in them as she let out a dry chuckle. "Draco!" She gasped, her face giving way to an almost overwhelming concern. "You're bleeding." She whispered. His eyes fluttered close for a fleeting second as her fingers grazed over his darkening cheek, split lip and swelling jawline. Ron had truly done a number on him.

"Well aren't you incredibly observant?" He murmured, the corners of his eyes crinkling as a grin spread across his face. He chuckled as Hermione playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Can I get you anything?"

She quirked her eyebrow at him. "Aren't I supposed to ask you that? We are at my place."

He flashed her a cheeky smile. "Oh, are we? I just assumed we were at mine…you know, seeing how much you've been there lately."

Hermione's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Oh shut up."

His grin only grew. "I must admit, though, I certainly don't mind seeing you sprawled amongst my sheets."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well obviously, _Malfoy_. I mean, just look at me."

Draco guffawed at her, leaning in to kiss her.

"Oh Merlin no! I don't want your blood on me!"

He let out a heavy sigh, scowling absently. Of _course_ Weasley was somehow getting in the way.

XXX

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**Saturday, May 29****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Squinting at the light that was peeking through a crack in the curtains and shining in her eyes, Hermione grumbled incoherently. She was certainly a morning person, but that didn't mean she appreciate a weekend sleep-in – and that was exactly what she craved after last night.

She tried to turn away from the light, stopped only by what seemed like a cocoon enclosing her, holding her firm in her current position.

She glanced down. What the bloody hell was th- oh.

Draco's arms were firmly wrapped around her midsection, holding her back flush against his front. She settled her head against the pillow, letting herself revel in the warmth of his body for a little longer. For some reason, she felt so safe within his hold – an indescribable feeling of absolute security and belonging.

He had been so attentive, so wonderfully gentle, towards her last night. He had carefully checked her over and healing her growing bruise before thinking about himself. He had cajoled her into venting about her blasted ex-boyfriend, and the frustrations of the past month, with a rather manipulative offer of ice-cream. And then he had softly kissed her, just a simple caress, before they had fallen asleep. It had been breathtakingly perfect.

_He_ was breathtakingly perfect.

'Whoa.' She thought, her eyes widening as she backtracked in her mind. 'No, no, no. Bad Hermione. He's just Draco, nothing more, nothing less. You will _not_ get taken up with him. This is a farce.' She reminded herself. Hermione squirmed in his grasp. What she wanted – no, _needed_ – was a little space from him. She did not need to get all smitten over the man.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her throat as his arms tightened around her waist, a grumbling groan whispering from his lips. "Stop moving." He said, or rather ordered. She didn't say anything, merely continuing in her efforts to escape his grasp. "Seriously, Hermione. You need to stop _grinding_ against me."

Grinding? What was he – oh Merlin! She nearly squeaked as she felt a rather prominent and very firm part of his body pressing against her buttocks. Hermione could feel her cheeks blooming as she realised that she had been wriggling against a certain part of his male anatomy.

Draco chuckled at her obvious discomfort. Flipping her over so she lay on her back, he rolled over, using his forearms to suspend his body over hers. "Good morning." He silkily whispered, brushing his lips against hers. Her eyes widened momentarily before crinkling with delight. With a thrillingly animalistic growl, he kissed her, not hesitating to run his tongue against her lower lip and deepen their kiss. He smirked against her lips as she moaned, arching her back underneath him. He reluctantly pulled away from her to catch his breath.

His mind all but fled him as a wonderfully seductive smile spread across her face, her voice husky as she spoke.

"Hey."

XXX

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**Saturday, May 29****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Stumbling out of the fireplace, Harry dusted the soot of his robes. Last night had been an absolute mess. After Malfoy had Apparated Hermione away from the pub, he had been stuck trying to deflate the whole situation. Realising how idiotically he had behaved, Ron had been absolutely beside himself. Well, when it came to Hermione of course – he hadn't given a rat's arse about the blonde ex-Slytherin.

He had begged and begged for the chance to apologise to Hermione but Harry hadn't swayed. He was in no position to make that decision for her. So here he was the next morning, on a mission to coax one best friend into hearing out another, as misguided and idiotic as he may be.

Harry had been obliged to take Ron into the Auror Department and file charges – he could only imagine how the tabloids would have reacted. Kingsley had nearly blown a conniption himself. The fallout of one war hero 'helping' another war hero to get way with assaulting a reformed Death Eater would have been a complete disaster.

The Weasley family had, of course, been contacted to inform them of the bail charges set against their youngest son. Much to his surprise, they had insisted on keeping him in for a night or two to, in Molly's own words, 'teach the fool a lesson'. Needless to say, Ron had well and truly blown his lid when Harry had quite reluctantly been tasked to share the news with him.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he shuffled forward. Hermione wasn't anywhere to be seen. That was extremely odd for her – she had _always _been a morning person, much to the chagrin of Ron and himself.

Harry chuckled to himself as he remembered just how frustrated they had gotten at her each time she had flounced into their room at the Burrow or Godric's Hollow, chirping about just how _brilliant_ the day was and how they were wasting a wonderful opportunity.

Lost in his thoughts, he was completely oblivious to the soft moans emanating from her room.

"Hermion- oh my god!" He called out as he opened the door.

He let out a strangled yelp at the sight in front of him. A very, _very_ Hermione was straddling an equally naked Malfoy, her back arched and head thrown back in what he assumed to be the throes of passion. Malfoy's fingers were shamelessly digging into her ample backside, his face showing just how much he was enjoying Hermione's ministrations. Both heads snapped towards him at the sound of his voice, their eyes giving away their surprise and embarrassed horror.

"Harry!" Hermione screeched, swiftly throwing herself off of the blonde and under the nearby bunched-up bed sheets.

The ex-Slytherin let out a frustrated groan, sneering at a very uncomfortable Harry. "Potter. Ever heard of knocking?"

"I- w-…oh_ bloody hell_." He gasped, running a hand through his characteristically dishevelled hair.

Draco's sneer grew larger if that were even possible, arching an eyebrow. Hermione's face was a deep red as she tried to gather her wits. "What are you doing?! I mean, I ju-…why?!"

Harry glanced towards her, quickly averting his eyes at her obvious nakedness under the flimsy sheet. "C-can we please talk once you're dressed?"

Both Hermione and Harry's cheeks flushed a deeper red at his request. "Oh my gosh, just get out!" She screeched, absolutely horrified. Harry raised his hands in surrender, quickly retreating from the bedroom to her kitchen.

Blimey, he needed a good, strong coffee.

Minutes later, Harry was nursing a steaming mug when Draco sauntered into the room. "Hermione will be dressed in a minute. She's just trying to quash her embarrassment, as I am sure you can understand." He drawled, a smirk playing along his lips.

"Shut up Malfoy." Harry murmured, rubbing wearily at his eyes.

"Must say, Potter, I never took you for the _voyeur_ type. Does Ginevra know about this little fettish of yours?"

"It's too early for this shit."

"Early for _what_ exactly?" Hermione entered the kitchen behind Draco, wrapped in a black silk bathrobe. "And it's not exactly early – you _do_ realise it's already 10am!"

Harry chuckled as Hermione confirmed exactly what he had been thinking about when he had walked in on them…well, in the _boudoir_. The smile on his face gave way to another flush of his cheeks as he recalled exactly what he had walked in on.

"Yeah, no…sorry." He mumbled, hiding his face behind the mug.

Draco raised an expectant eyebrow at him as he handed Hermione a fresh mug of coffee, desperately trying to ignore the way his stomach flipped at her timid little smile. Sweet Circe, she was beautiful. "Are you going to explain why you just had to interrupt us this morning?" He drawled, shaking himself out of his thoughts.

"You thought I'd just pretend like nothing happened last night? You _do _remember Ron freaking out and you know, _hitting you_?"

Both Hermione and Draco scowled out him, their facial expressions scarily similar. 'Whoa. Not cool.' Harry thought in surprise. "Seriously, Potter?" Draco asked, his eyebrow arching up his forehead.

"Don't get smart with me, Harry Potter." Hermione warned, crossly folding her arms across her chest. "I know perfectly well what happened last night. Excuse me for not wanting to dwell on the moment I was socked in the face."

Harry flashed her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I'm just exhausted – spent the whole damn night dealing with…with Ron."

Draco let out an amused snort. "Please do tell - what happened after we left?"

XXX

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**Saturday, May 29****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

An hour later, Hermione and Draco were lying on her couch, legs entangled as their conversation lulled into a comfortable silence.

"I'm sorry, by the way." Hermione mumbled, revelling in the feeling of Draco absently playing with a curl of hair that lay against her neck.

His eyes flashed to hers, confusion spread across his face. "Huh? What for?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "For last night. The whole Ron fiasco."

"What on earth are you on about?" He sat up, using his elbows to hold himself up. "This had nothing to do with you!" Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "W-not nothing…obviously. But it wasn't your fault at all."

Hermione sighed. "I know but still. I mean he w-" She was cut off by the sharp shrill of her home telephone ringing.

Draco scrambled off the couch, jumping to his feet in alarm. "What the bloody hell is that?!" He frantically glanced around the room. He scowled as he noticed her giggling uncontrollably on the couch. "Seriously, Granger, where is that horrid noise coming from?!"

Stumbling off the couch, she walked over to where the little handset was sitting beside her bookshelf. "Relax, it's just a telephone."

"Huh?"

"Telephone, Draco." Raising a single finger to silence him, she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

'_Hermione Jean Granger, how DARE you keep something like this from your father and I?'_

She let out a light sigh at the shrill tone of her mother's voice. "Hi Mum. How are you?"

'_Oh no, no. Don't you dare ask me how you are! The nerve of children these days.'_

"Mum…are you okay?"

Jean Granger let out a scoff at her daughters question. _'As good as I can be seeing as I just found out that my daughter doesn't love me enough to talk to me about what's been going on in her life!'_

Sweet Merlin, her mother could be melodramatic at times. "Mum! What are you talking about? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

'_N-no idea! I'm talking about how my one and only child has been dating someone for the past YEAR and yet doesn't even THINK to tell us about it!'_

Oh. That. "Wh-how?"

'_How what? How did we find out without you telling us about it?! Molly wrote to us last night to apologise for how that horrid ex-boyfriend of yours acted. Imagine our absolute SURPRISE when she mentioned some Draco boy.'_

Shit, she was in trouble. "Mum…"

'_Oh don't you Mum me! Your father and I are very, VERY upset. As much as I know I raised you better than that, I was hoping that this was some silly little fling and perhaps THAT was why you didn't see the need to talk to your father or I. Molly was rambling on, you know…as she usually does, and happened to mention how Ronald attacked you when this Draco publically declared his feelings for you in his acceptance speech at some ball. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE, HERMIONE! IMAGINE MY SURPRISE!'_

"I'm sorry! I really am!" Hermione broke through, glancing nervously at a thoroughly flabbergasted Draco. "I, uh, after the whole thing with Ron, I just wanted to make sure that this was a serious relationship before I told you. And then…and then, I just wasn't sure how to tell you." She really did despise lying to her mother but sometimes, it was necessary.

'_What do you mean, you didn't know how to tell me! I mean, it isn't exactly difficult. "Hello Mum, Dad. I have been dating Draco for however long and I am in love." See? Easy!'_

Hermione rubbed at her temple. "Okay, I'm sorry Mum. I don't know what else to say."

'_Well I do. Draco and you are coming over for dinner tomorrow night – I won't take no for an answer.'_

Her eyes widened, flashing again towards Draco. "Mum, I d-"

'_No, Hermione. The two of you WILL be coming over for dinner. I shall see you in toorrow!.'_

The rhythmic beeping that came over the line signalled that her mother had hung up. Hermione nervously played with the end of her hair as she turned to face Draco.

"What?"

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**Please let me know what you think!**


	16. XVI

**A/N: I am SO SO sorry that it has taken me this long to update! I know its no excuse but things got really busy and I was drowning in uni work. On the plus side, I passed my biggest exam with flying colours and I only have 7 weeks left of uni!**

**I'm also sorry about the quality and lack of length of this chapter - I really struggled but hopefully the next chapter will make it up to you all!**

_Last Chapter:_

_The rhythmic beeping that came over the line signalled that her mother had hung up. Hermione nervously played with the end of her hair as she turned to face Draco._

"_What?" _

**Chapter 16**

**Saturday, May 29****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Draco frowned, crossing his arms against his chest. "Hermione," He started cautiously. "What is it?"

Her eyes flashed sheepishly to his and then back down again. "Hmm? What was what?" She asked, her voice strangely high-pitched. Hermione was acting incredibly unusual.

He growled in frustration. "Hermione…" He repeated, drawing out the vowels of her name. "What did your mother want?"

She let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her hair. "Fine. My mum called. Apparently Molly let slip to her about us dating and, uh…sheprettymuchdemandedthatwegooverfordinnertomorrow." She raced through the end of her sentence, her lips quirking into a pleading little smile.

What on earth? His eyebrows furrowed together. "English would be nice."

Hermione chuckled before repeating herself at a much slower pace. "She is _demanding_ that we go for dinner tomorrow. We don't get a choice."

Draco's eyes widened, his posture slackening with surprise. Hermione couldn't help but giggle as his mouth opened and closed a few times, reminiscent of a goldfish. His eyes darted around the room, as if he were searching for an escape. "Wh-what? But…I can't!"

Her eyebrows shot up. "You can't?" She let out an amused snort. "Idiot."

His eyes were almost freakishly wide as he aimlessly flailed his arms. "Hermione, they…they're your parents! I can't go to their bloody house!"

"Excuse me? Why the hell not?"

"W-because they're _your_ parents! I can't go meet your parents! Do you know how awkward that is?!"

"How does that even make sense?!" She shot back, folding her arms over her chest. "I went to your house, in which I was bloody tortured, and had dinner with your parents, who up until a few years ago wanted me dead!"

"That was before we were…were…"

"Before we were _what_, Draco?" Her voice had dropped low.

"You know…" She stared at him unwaveringly. "Doing it."

Hermione snorted at him. "Oh real mature, Malfoy. I don't give a shit if we're _doing it_ or not. I had dinner with your parents. The least you can do is to return the favour."

"Bu-but they're Muggles!"

Oh shit. That was certainly the wrong thing to say. Her eyes widened to an almost comical size, her hands dropping to her sides, trembling as her anger rose. Her cheeks flushed red as she took a few very slow, deep breaths to calm herself down. "Excuse me?" Her voice was almost venomous.

Draco had already realised what he said, slowly stepping back with his hands raised in the air in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that."

Oh Merlin, the witch was terrifying. "I didn't mean it like that." He placated, keeping a safe distance from the woman.

She took a menacing step forward. "Pray tell, _Draco_," She said, drawing his name out tauntingly. Oh dear Zeus, why did he have to open his stupid mouth. "How exactly did you mean it?"

"Hermione…" She had him cornered like a deer surrounded by a pack of lionesses. In a flash of movement, her wand was held steadily in her hand.

"You have a minute to explain yourself before you end up on the receiving end of a particularly nasty stinging hex."

He gulped nervously. He vaguely remembered a rather distraught Theo after he had started a petty scuffle with her beloved Potter in the year after the war. His face had _not_ been pretty. "I just…I'm not used to spending time with Muggles…around Muggle things."

Her eyebrows shot into her hair. "Wrong. I seem to recall that you _live_ in Muggle London. Not to mention you spent months travelling through Muggle countries. Try again."

"Gra-Hermione! I don't exactly sit down and have little pow-wows with my neighbours, and I spent those months trying to _escape _from people – by myself. I'm not exactly a master of associating with Muggles, let alone your parents!"

Hermione looked at him for a moment, her eyebrow furrowing as she contemplated what he said. Her eyes widened with understanding, her wand-arm dropping to her side. "Oh my gosh…you're scared of meeting my parents?!"

The pulp of his cheeks flushed a light pink. "What? No!" He retorted too quickly.

"Oh you so are! You're _scared_! You're intimidated by them?"

"I am not!"

"Yeah you are. Don't even try denying it."

"Am not!" He replied childishly.

"Prove it. Come to dinner." He missed the sly grin growing on her face.

"Fine!"

XXX

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**Saturday, May 29****th**** 2004 **

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Hermione was curled up on her couch, legs tucked underneath her as she sipped her red wine. She sighed contently. There was nothing quite as lovely as settling down with a good book and delightful Pinot Noir. She was much more partial to Muggle alcohol.

Draco had left not long after realising that she had tricked him into agreeing to dinner with her parents. It was his fault really – she may not have been a cunning Slytherin but he should have known better than to doubt her intelligence. She smirked smugly to herself – gosh, she was brilliant, if she could say so herself. The look on his face had been priceless.

She glanced down at her book, her eyes skimming over the words without taking them in. As much as she had enjoyed conning Draco into dinner with her parents, she was not looking forward to it.

Simply put, it was going to be painful.

Hermione had rarely kept secrets from her parents – of course, unless they were to keep them safe, and far away from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. She had always been close to them and she had always tried her hardest to never lie to them.

And yet here she was, planning to take her fake boyfriend to her parents' house for the sake of her threatened job.

Just bloody brilliant.

Trying vainly to push all her thoughts out of her mind, Hermione tried focussing on the book in front of her. She had been meaning to read the novel for weeks now but Phineas' grand plan had thrown everything into a tailspin. She had just started taking in the words when her fireplace roared to life.

Ugh, what was it now?

"Hermione Jean Granger, you little slut!"

Hermione let out a heavy sigh as she put her book down on her end table. She wasn't going to get a chance to squeeze any reading in. "Hey Gin."

Ginny staggered out of the fireplace, her eyes bright with excitement, her hands holding her growing belly as she found her balance. "What, you're not going to ask why I'm here?"

She let out a snort. "Please. Harry was never going to keep his trap shut. I'm just surprised it took you this long."

Ginny's eyes flashed with momentary disappointment before she bounced onto the couch beside Hermione. "I thought I'd spend a bit of time with _my husband _before he went to deal with all that Ron crap. He looked like he had seen a boggart when he got home! Took me a whole twenty minutes to get it out of him."

"Stop laughing, woman! Do you know how mortifying it was?!" Her face flushed red as she recalled that moment. She had been enjoying herself so much she had been half-tempted to finish it off before dealing with Harry.

Ginny only laughed harder, leaning back into the arm of the couch with amusement. "Oh I bet it was! Must have been so hard having to stop right in the middle of your morning romp."

"Ginny!"

"I remember this one time, Harry and I were trying out this new posi-"

"GINNY!"

"What?" She asked, oh-so innocently.

"I am _not_ talking to you about sex!" Hermione screeched before taking a large gulp of her wine.

She let out a dramatic sigh. "Fiiine. What would your highness like to talk about instead?"

Hermione let out another snort. She may have had a little too much wine. "I'm taking Draco to my parents' for dinner tomorrow night." She stared at Ginny, waiting for a response of appropriate sympathy.

"And?"

"What do you mean and? He's going to meet my parents!"

And then she got the widening eyes and shocked expression she had been after – but it wasn't for the reason she had been expecting. "He hasn't met your parents yet?!"

"Wh-what?"

"Hermione Granger. How is it that your parents and your _boyfriend_ of a _whole year_ haven't met before?!"

"Cos they just found out about him!" Hermione slurred, the words tumbling out before she could even think of stopping them. Oh shit.

"WHAT?!" Ginny screeched, leaning forward as far as her stomach would allow her to.

"Huh?"

Ginny scrambled forward, tucking her legs under herself and sitting on them. "You didn't tell your parents about Draco until now?!"

Hermione breathed out heavily. There was no point holding back now. "Technically I didn't tell them. They found out when your mum apologised for Ron's behaviour."

"WHAAAT?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

She gave herself a moment before answering, pulling her prepared answer to the front of her mind. "I don't know! I…I guess I wasn't sure if it was serious or not, and I wanted to make sure it was something serious before I told them anything. And then I just wasn't sure how to tell them without them getting all upset that I hadn't earlier!"

"So you just planned on never telling them?!"

Yes. "Wh-no!

"You're an idiot."

XXX

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XXX

**Sunday, May 30****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

He was pacing circles into his living room carpet. Twenty minutes and he would be at the Granger home. Twenty bloody minutes.

What was he supposed to do? What do Muggles do for fun? What the hell do they talk about if they don't have Quidditch?! Do Muggles even eat normal food?! Bloody hell, he should've paid more attention during that blasted Muggle Studies class they were forced to take in their final year.

He was going to vomit. Dear Merlin, he was about to spew. His stomach was churning like a large vat of butter. What was he supposed to say to _Muggles_?

He came to an abrupt stop in front of the large mirror that hung on the wall. Oh Godric, he looked like a fool. He was Draco Lucius Malfoy, an ex-Death Eater who had managed to overcome the hatred and distrust of the Wizarding world and develop close relationships with some of most prominent members of their society.

And he was moments away from pissing his pants over a dinner with a pair of older Muggles.

Draco's heart nearly leapt out of his throat as his fireplace roared to life with green flash. "What's up?"

He clamped his hand over his chest. "What the hell, Blaise?!"

The dark-skinned man was grinning up at him from the fireplace. "What's got your knickers in a twist, princess?"

Draco scowled. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what's got you on edge."

"It was a mistake giving you open access to my Floo network."

"Such harsh words! Woe is me!" Blaise teased, jokingly placing the back of his hand against his forehead.

"I'm cutting you off." Draco muttered, reaching forward to disconnect the fireplace.

"Whoa! Wait!"

Draco let out a heavy sigh. He really wasn't in the mood for Blaise and his crap – he had a dinner with Muggles to prepare for! "What? Hermione's going to be over in about ten minutes."

"Ooooohhhhhhhh." Blaise's grin widened, with a knowing wink. "I was going to see if you wanted to go out – Daph's out with Astoria for the night. But I guess you're going to be a little busy, hey?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up Blaise."

"What?!" His voice was oddly high in a sad attempt to project innocence. "Somebody's going to get luuuu-cky!"

"Shut the hell up."

"Somebody's not going to get lucky?"

"I'm having dinner at Hermione's parents' house. I don't really see myself getting lucky…in any way or form."

"Oh damn."

XXX

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XXX

**Sunday, May 30****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Hermione Granger was a complete wreck.

In precisely nine minutes and forty-six seconds, she was due at her childhood home…with Draco Malfoy in tow. The pureblood extraordinaire from her youth was meeting her incredibly Muggle parents at their Muggle house in her Muggle hometown. If someone had told her years ago that she would be taking him home to meet her parents as her boyfriend, she would have slapped them silly and given them a kick for good measure. It was surely preposterous…wasn't it?

Apparently not.

She applied a last layer of mascara, stepping back to observe herself in the mirror. Her mother had always emphasised the importance of being well-groomed and perfectly presented – it was something that had been instilled in her throughout her upper-class upbringing. And she had always imparted this on her daughter, Witch or not.

Hermione let out a heavy sigh, stepping towards her fireplace. "Malfoy Apartment." She called out as she threw a handful of powder into the flickering flames.

'Here goes nothing,' she thought.

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry! I had to cut it off here so that the dinner would be one nice chapter. Please forgive me and review!**


	17. XVII

**A/N: I need to start this chapter off with a major apology. I got so stuck on the scene at the Granger household and it took me forever to write. I must have rewritten it at least 5 times. It hasn't helped that I've been really busy with conferences, wedding planning, babysitting twins and writing review papers but I still can't believe it's taken me this long! I hope you enjoy it nonetheless and don't hold it against me!**

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**Chapter 17**

**Sunday, May 30****th**** 2004**

**Granger Household**

Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace with Draco, dropping his hand the moment they landed as if it were a burning stone.

Draco's eyebrows shot up as he glanced around the room. The room was far grander than he had expected. If he were being completely honest, he had always imagined Hermione growing up in a small little cottage out in the middle of nowhere. But this…this was delightful. The room was spotted with pictures of Hermione, from a button-nosed rosy-cheeked child, to the buck-toothed bushy-haired know-it-all he had teased, to the beautiful confident woman he now knew.

He stepped closer to a particular picture. A young girl, Hermione he assumed, was sitting on a large armchair, adoringly holding a giggling baby in her arms. Beside it was another, two little girls beaming up at the photographer, the younger a spitting image of her older sister.

"Calliope." Hermione answered his unspoken question. She had a hint of a smile on her face. "Come on."

The large hallway was adorned with frames, holding unmoving and mainly unfamiliar faces. Her family, he guessed. A few doors and some arches spotted the passage, leading into some fairly impressive rooms.

His steps faltered as he came upon a familiar painting, the golden frame complementing the grey and brown tones of the painting. "Is that a Degas?!"

"Yeah. My great-grandfather acquired it when he was travelling through Europe along with a few other paintings."

Holy bloody hell. Who on earth knew that she was so wealthy?

She chuckled at his bewildered expression and sent him a smile that almost said 'well what can you do' as she shrugged. "My maternal family is pretty well-off."

Well you don't say.

He followed Hermione as she moved forward again and stopped just before a large archway. She took in a deep breath before hooking her hand in the crook of his elbow and pulling him forward. "Hello!"

"Hermione!"

A friendly-looking middle-aged man put down his glass of wine and swept her into his arms, spinning his daughter in a circle. Hermione was giggling, her arms latching around her father's neck. "Hey Dad." She said as he put her down, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "This is Draco."

William gave the newcomer a once over before he stuck out his hand and his face split into a warm smile. "Welcome, Draco. Such an odd name."

"Dad!"

He turned to look at his daughter. "Wha-at? It is!" She gave him a stern look, folding her arms over her chest. "Fine…I apologise, _Draco_. That was terribly rude of me."

Draco smiled back at the man. "That's quite alright, sir. It is a pretty odd name."

William clapped his hands together. "Right. Now Hermione, your mother is in the kitchen and let me warn you, she isn't very happy with you…you know, keeping your boyfriend a secret from us and all that. You might want to go in and sort her out while I get Draco a drink."

Hermione groaned. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she did nevertheless. Pushing the door open to the kitchen, she could see her mother bustling around the benchtops whilst muttering under her breath. "Hey Mum."

Elizabeth whipped around, casting a disdainful look at her daughter. "Hello." She said icily, turning back to the chopping board in front of her.

"Mum, please."

"Please? Wh-I'm upset, Hermione!" She huffed as she waved around the knife in her hands. "How could you not tell your own mother about such an important relationship?"

"I really am sorry. I didn't intend to _hide_ him from you!"

Her mother looked thoroughly put-out. "Really?! Tell me – how did you just _forget_ to mention him?"

"I already told you this on the phone. And okay – yes. I was definitely wrong. But can we please leave this for another time? Draco is here and this is awkward enough as it is."

Elizabeth huffed again, putting knife down on the table with some force. "Fine. But this is most certainly not over."

Hermione smiled gratefully. "Can I at least have a hug?"

Her mother stared at her before a hint of a smile graced her elegant face. "Of course."

XXX

Their dinner so far had gone surprisingly well. Draco had managed to win over both of her parents with conversations about the fine arts and sports, and numerous questions about the field of dentistry. That man was one hell of a charmer.

"Really, Mrs Granger. The roast was absolutely delicious." He said as she brought in what he could only assume was an equally brilliant desert.

"Oh." She blushed, a wide grin blossoming over her face. "You are too kind."

Hermione almost rolled her eyes. Was there any person (or woman really) that Draco _couldn't_ turn into blubber? Her mother had _never_ even begun to warm up to Ronald. But then again, in hindsight, she could completely understand that.

After she had served four plates of hot apple pie with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream, Elizabeth clapped her hands in excitement. "You know, I don't believe we've heard the story of how you two kids met!"

"We actually went to Hogwarts together." He commented.

Both of her parents' interests were definitely piqued. "Oh?" Hermione felt her stomach drop. She could almost predict the questions that were rising in their minds.

"Yeah, we were actually in the same year there. She _always_ beat me in every single class – it drove me absolutely mad."

William chuckled proudly as the cogs in Elizabeth's mind started churning. "Really? I don't recall a Draco from her school days."

"I'm not at all surprised. Hermione and I weren't exactly friendly back then."

"Really? When did you two end up becoming friendly?"

Hermione could almost hear her heart pounding. She could not see this conversation ending well.

"Well we started working together a few years ago and our relationship really…I guess, blossomed soon before we started dating."

"Huh." Elizabeth mused, looking at his daughter curiously. "I…I don't think I've heard much about…sorry, I'm trying to be respectful here…but I don't really remember hearing about you."

Draco glanced at Hermione uneasily.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Lizzy." William placated, placing a hand on her arm. "I mean, Hermione – you do refer to a lot of your friends by their family names."

'Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no.' Hermione thought, gripping Draco's hand in desperation. 'Oh Merlin no.'

Both of her parents looked at her expectantly as she desperately avoided any form of eye contact. Her stomach was churning. Her mother would most definitely recall Draco's surname and it was most definitely for all the wrong reasons. Oh how she wished she could erase all those nights she had cried to her mother over his cruel taunts and jeers.

Elizabeth scowled at her daughter. "Surely, Bill, I thought we raised her better than this." And then turned to Draco. "I'm sorry, dear. I don't believe we know your surname."

Draco winced as Hermione's nails dug into the back of his hand. "It's Malfoy."

Hermione cringed beside him. The room fell into a perfect silence – Draco could have sworn he would have heard a pin drop. Had he said something wrong? He turned to Hermione in bewilderment.

Elizabeth and William both stared at him for a moment before William chuckled. "I'm sorry, I thought you said Malfoy. He was this boy from that school – you must have known of him."

"W-uh…I did." Draco said, as Hermione's death grip on his hand tightened even further.

Elizabeth's dessert spoon clattered to her plate as she gasped in surprise, her eyes darting back and forth between the young couple. The smile had vanished from William's face as he stared, stone-faced, at the blonde man. "Hermione?" His voice was strained. "Please tell me there were two Malfoys in your grade."

When his question was answered by a tense silence, he breathed out heavily as his jaw clenched and unclenched over and over.

There was complete silence for a few horrid moments before it was broken by a rather timid Hermione. "Dad?"

And with that the camel's back was broken. "Have you lost your goddamn mind?!" William yelled, slamming his hands on the table in front of him as he stood causing all of the others to jump.

"D-"

"And you!" He hissed, turning on Draco. "You have some nerve stepping into my house."

Draco gaped at him blankly.

"Dad, please!"

"Really Hermione!" Elizabeth gasped. "How…how could you be involved with _him_?! After everything he had done!"

"Mu-"

"All those nights Hermione! Those nights I held you while you cried over the things _he_ had done, the things he had said!" Her mother was barely looking at Draco anymore.

Hermione glanced over at Draco, hoping beyond all hope that he hadn't heard that. "That was a long time ago!"

"A LONG TIME AGO?" William exploded. "The things he put you through…how could you ever begin to forgive him?" And then he faced Draco. "And how _dare _you! You're lucky there is a table between us because God knows what I would do to you otherwise!"

"Sir?" Never had he been so scared of a pair of Muggles.

"The things you did to my daughter, the names you called her, the bullying, the tormenting. You are most certainly a horrible human being."

"DAD!" Hermione jumped to her feet. "That's enough!"

"Enough?" He sounded almost hysterical. "Your mother and I had to hear you sobbing in your room over things that this…this _boy_ said and did to you! I cannot even begin to understand how yo-"

"Because he is _not_ the same person!" Her parents gawked at her. "Believe me when I say that Draco _has _changed. He is nothing like the boy I went to school with. He may have been a horrible, horrible boy but he has been nothing but respectful and caring and attentive and…and supportive. He defended me against Ronald the other night and made sure that I was safe before anything else. You know well that Harry and Ginny absolutely detested Draco as much as I did but that has changed."

"Hermione! People lie! They pretend to be something they're not!" Her father tried desperately. How could his daughter be dating the same person who had made her schooling life a living hell? "You're fooling yourself if you think you can just ignore the callous way he acted at Hogwarts!

"Dad! I'm not going to let you badmouth him. You need to trust me. I am not called the brightest witch of my generation for nothing. I am perfectly capable of assessing the situation and making the right decision. And Draco _is_ the right decision."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to retort, silenced by Hermione raising her hand.

"And if my word is not good enough for you, then this must be. You remember Kingsley, yes? Well then you'll remember that he is a very perceptive, respectable man and he has personally taken Draco under his wing. In fact, Draco was presented with an award at the Liberty Ball for his amazing work within the Wizarding community and for turning his life around."

Her parents stared at her helplessly. "Hermione…"

"No, Mum. Draco and I are leaving now. I may have made some mistakes in the past and yes, I should have told you about Draco earlier but I refuse to let him be attacked like this. He is not the man you think him to be."

And with that, she took Draco by the arm and stormed out of the room.

XXX

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XXX

**Sunday, May 30****th**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

Hermione was completely mortified by the time they stumbled out of the fireplace into her living room. She couldn't believe the way her parents had acted. Yes, sure – they were fairly justified in being affronted by her apparent choice in a partner, but to be so unapologetically rude! If it had been the other way around, she would never heard the end of it with an endless repetition of 'Hermione, we raised you to be better than that'.

She was far too embarrassed to be embarrassed by the fact that her parents had told him something tht she had never intended for him to know. So what if she had cried because of the horrid things he had done to her – _he_ certainly didn't need to know that. She never wanted him to know that. But that was beside the point right now – how could her parents have spoken to him like that!

And it certainly was the last thing she needed – they had come so far in their relationship, whatever it was.

She turned to Draco, taken aback at the deep frown etched across his face. "Oh Merlin, Draco. I am so sorry!"

He didn't respond, his mind flooded by a barrage of thoughts. He looked confused…distressed, even.

"Draco?"

His eyes flicked to him as he grunted in response.

"Draco. I am really truly sorry." She couldn't really understand what was going on. She understood that he would be a little upset, or at least angry, by her parents' actions but this was just strange. "I had no idea they would be this way. If I had known I wouldn't have taken you along or I would have at least spoken with them first. I honestly did not exp-"

"I have to go."

He had interrupted her so suddenly that it took her a moment to process what he was saying.

"Wait, what?"

"I…I need to go."

He almost barged past her, instantly making the short distance back towards her fireplace. "Wait! What is g-"

He turned to her, his fist full of Floo powder. "I just need to go." And with that he threw the powder into the fireplace, muttered his destination and disappeared, leaving a bewildering Hermione in his wake.

XXX

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XXX

**Monday, May 31****st**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

He scowled at the reflection staring back at him. He looked…well, pitiful. His hair was immaculate and his clothes well styled, as usual, but his face reflected the tortured night that had just passed. He had barely slept and when he had fallen asleep, he had been aroused within minutes, the blinking red numbers emanating from his wand taunting him as each minute slowly ticked by.

He was grumpy. Draco was the type of person who really needed his beauty sleep. Add on top of that the fact that he wasn't a morning person, and he was really not a happy camper. And the last thing he wanted to do today was to go to work, deal with Goldbloom and face Hermione.

What her parents had said had, for some reason, shaken him to his core.

He was well aware that he had been a callous, impetuous child, and teenage, blinded by the prejudice that had been drilled into his impressionable mind from a young age. Regardless, he couldn't blame anyone but himself for the way he had acted. And sure, in the past few years he had felt bad for the way he had acted and the things he had said, but he had never really given much thought to how it had affected those at the brunt of his behaviour.

And it was well known that Hermione Granger had borne the worst of it – the same Hermione Granger who was currently making him more confused, and yet more alive, than ever before.

He hadn't been able to stop imagining his headstrong, defiant witch broken by the way he had treated her. To think that she had cried for nights over what he had done, and yet boldly smiled at him whilst standing in the very room she had been physically tortured by his aunt.

How _had_ she brought herself to forgive him? How could she even look at him?

It wasn't like whatever they were doing right now was serious or anything real, of course. But he was genuinely enjoying her company, her wit…her entire being. And yet surely thanks to his idiocy, they would never have any chance of anything in the future.

Sweet Circe, what he would do to take it all back.

* * *

**A/N: I feel like this chapter kind of sucked. I've hit a bit of a roadblock but hopefully now that I've gotten past this chapter, it'll be a little easier. Please be patient with me! Any criticism/feedback/suggestions are always welcome!**


	18. XVIII

**A/N: Hello everyone! I am still alive - I swear! I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to update the story. We were hit with two family crises in the space of a week, in that two family members were diagnosed with life-limiting, horrible diseases, and things have been really busy. In the midst of wedding planning, I was taking my grandfather to weekly doctors appointments and trying to deal with the blow that came with it all.**

**I also got married (YAY!) and have been busy trying to set up our home and adjust after coming back from our honeymoon. And I'll be starting work as a junior doctor in less than a week, which will be incredibly busy.**

**I just want to let you know that I am still committed to writing and updating as much as possible but wanted to warn you all that I won't be able to update too often. It will be on an as-possible sort of basis, and I'll be squeezing in writing along with work, married life and preparing for medical exams. I hope you will continue to read my work and enjoy it, despite the time between updates.**

**Much love!**

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**Chapter 18**

_**Weasley Strikes Again!**_

_**Monday, May 31**__**st**__** 2004**_

_Oh my dears – have I got news for you!_

_The Leaky Cauldron nearly exploded this past Friday with drama as the infamous Ronald Weasley struck again. Quite literally. If you haven't already heard, it seems as though Weasley was involved in a physical altercation with none other than our couple of the year, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger._

_And this reporter was able to get you all the juicy details._

_Granger and Malfoy were minding their own business (quite literally, in the corner booth of the popular bar, if you know what I mean) when their public display of affection enraged Granger's ex-boyfriend. Without so much as a word, he threw punches at the gorgeous blonde, who witnesses say only defended himself and didn't fight back. Despite the efforts of both Granger and our beloved Harry Potter, Weasley did not cease his vicious attack until one of his punches landed on poor Granger, knocking her to her feet. The outrage!_

_I was lucky enough to come into possession of a couple of photographs, including one of the sweet ex-Slytherin tending to his girlfriend. Moments later, he warned Weasley to never lay a hand on Granger again before Apparating them away. What a knight in shining armour. If only all men were so valiant._

_Weasley was promptly arrested by Potter, his long-time friend, and as of this morning, remains in a holding cell. I have been told that the Weasley family are infuriated by his actions and are currently refusing to pay his bail. I wonder what his rumoured girlfriend thinks about this fiasco!_

_I promise you more in the near future!_

_Until next time, my darlings!_

_Parvati Patel_

XXX

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XXX

**Monday, May 31****st**** 2004**

**Office of Hermione Granger**

It was happening again.

Draco _Fucking_ Malfoy was ignoring her…again.

Not that she could blame him – she would have run for the high hills if his parents had been as bad as hers. She snorted at just how ludicrous it all was. Meeting her parents had been worse than dinner with the bloody Malfoys. The world just had to be coming to an end.

Draco had disappeared from her apartment in such a flurry that she hadn't had a chance to even process what was going on. And she had tried to talk to him once she came to her sense, but he had shut down his blasted Floo network…or at least blocked her from it.

And today had been a complete joke. She could almost feel the smugness emanating from Phineas' entire being as he watched Draco avoid her like she had some wicked disease. For what _felt_ like the hundredth time. And it bugged her to no end. Everything had been going well. Draco and her were getting along…well, more than just getting along and she was truly enjoying it. And besides, she definitely didn't want to let Goldbloom win. Right now, that seemed like the worst possible outcome. Ever.

Hermione couldn't quite understand why he was being _so_ distant. She could have understood if he was being a little off, but he had barely _grunted_ at her at the office today. They had had another meeting with Mitchell, and Draco had directed all of his thoughts and comments to him. He literally hadn't glanced at her at all…and she made sure wouldn't have missed it if he had.

Draco was almost an enigma, his moods and actions jumping around unpredictably. He was almost as bad as a girl with severe PMS, not that she would tell him that. Or would she? Maybe that was exactly what he needed to hear – just how _irrationally_ he was acting.

And he really couldn't let Phineas beat them! Firstly, where would that leave him? And secondly, she had worked damn hard for that promotion.

She was frustrated. So very frustrated.

XXX

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XXX

**Monday, May 31****st**** 2004**

**Apartment of Hermione Granger**

"What do you mean it was horrible?!"

Ginny had dropped by as soon as Hermione had gotten home from work, eager to hear all about how their night had gone.

"He barely even looked at me today! And he pretty much refused to speak to me!"

"Oh come on." Ginny had her legs tucked underneath her, eagerly listening for the gossip. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"It was an absolute disaster." Hermione took a large sip of her wine. Merlin knew she needed it. "An absolute freaking disaster."

"What happened?" Her eyes were wide open with anticipation. Oh Merlin, this was going to be good.

"They absolutely freaked out when they realised he was the same guy as the Malfoy that gave us hell at Hogwarts. I mean, who would have thought that him meeting my parents would be far worse than me meeting his!"

"Oh shit."

"Uh-huh." Hermione took another _big_ gulp of her wine.

"What exactly did you tell them?"

"Pretty much everything."

"What?! Why?"

"You know I can't lie and I didn't exactly think I'd be bringing him home as my boyfriend! They would ask me what was wrong and I'd tell them! Couldn't exactly be like 'Oh nothing. Just crying for shits and giggles', could I?"

"Wait…what?" Ginny was staring at her, her eyebrows furrowed. "He made you cry?"

"Yeah."

"But…you were always so…stoic…I mean, you never let his crap faze you."

Hermione swallowed down a scoff. It wasn't fair on Ginny. She had become the brains, the logical strong one out of the Gryffindor trio and as such, she had constructed this persona of a strong, almost unemotional girl. It was simply how she had dealt with being the tormented outsider in the mindboggling world of wizardry. But when she went home, she was the same little girl that had been bullied throughout her schooling and struggled to fit in, and her façade would crumble.

"Just because I looked like it didn't faze me doesn't mean it didn't, Gin."

"Oh Mione! I'm so sorry! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Hermione shrugged, sighing at the genuine concern on her friend's face. She hated talking about emotions; it just wasn't something she ever did.

Ginny stayed quiet for a moment, seeing Hermione's reluctance to talk. "Well anyway…so your parents lost it?"

She smiled, grateful for the change in topic. "Absolutely. They couldn't believe I'm involved with him and that I had brought him into their house. My dad bloody threatened him!"

"What?!"

"Yep. Screamed at Draco that he was lucky that there was a table between them. Yelled at me that I was fooling myself to think that he's changed."

Ginny stared agape for a moment before her face rearranged itself into a state of thoughtfulness.

When she said nothing, Hermione broke the silence. "What?

"Do you think that you might be?" Hermione stared blankly at Ginny. "You know…fooling yourself? Before you freak out, I'm just asking you – I know all that Malfoy has done and all the amends he's made…but I just don't want you to get hurt again. I just want you to be happy."

Hermione wanted to argue with her, yell at her that Draco was a transformed man. She wanted more than anything to be able to confidently say that he was in no way the same boy who had tormented her for all those years.

But could she?

XXX

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XXX

**Monday, May 31****st**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

"Draco! What's happening?" Blaise greeted, stumbling out of the fireplace into the living room.

Draco was slumped in a plush chaise lounge, eyes unfocused as his mind wandered elsewhere. He hadn't even registered the man standing in the same room as him.

"Drake?" Nothing. "Draco?" Still nothing. He stepped forward and smacked the back of the blonde's head. "Draco!"

"Holy crap!" Draco started, leaping to his feet. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem? What's up with you?"

Draco scowled, rubbing at the back of his head. "Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing."

"Just leave it, Blaise."

"Aw come on, I think you know me a little better than that."

Draco didn't respond.

"Soooo…what's up?"

Draco sighed. He unfortunately knew Blaise too well – there was no chance in hell that he would just let it go. The man was an incessant nuisance…and a pretty brilliant friend. "Met Hermione's parents last night."

"Oh..." Blaise looked confused. "But all parents love you."

"Yeah but apparently not when they know how I used to treat their daughter."

"OH."

"Seriously Blaise, why is she involved with me?! How could she even look at me after the shit I did?!"

"Huh?" Dear Merlin, this man could be thick.

"I was horrid. I teased her, taunted her – I even bloody fought against her in a war. My own freaking aunty _tortured_ her."

"Drake…"

"She used to go home for the holidays and cry! Because of me!"

Blaise didn't know what to say, opening and closing his mouth like a bit of a fish. Draco flopped back onto the lounge, dropping his head into his hands. As a kid, he had never thought about what he was saying or doing – he was just an idiotic, haughty, prejudiced child. After all, he had thought that being a Malfoy put him above the rest. He hadn't given a second thought about how his actions had affected others as a child and to be honest, he hadn't even considered it even after he realised how wrong his upbringing had been. And suddenly, he was involved with this brilliant witch and for some reason, he cared. He cared that he had acted like such an imbecile and he cared that he had hurt her.

Blaise sat down beside him. "Look man. For whatever reason, Granger has forgiven you. The whole wizarding world knows you aren't the same man – you've quite publicly denounced your old ways and you've done so much to change your family's reputation. She has seen that."

Draco lifted his head out of his hands. "But what if she realises that it's all a mistake?" Sweet Circe, since when did he turn into such a ponce? It wasn't like they were in a real relationship anyway – one year and this would all be over…well, less than a year now. Why did he even care?

Blaise shot to his feet. "Get up."

"What?"

"Get up! You're coming with me."

Draco looked confused. "Where are we going?"

"Well, you idiot, unless you want her to change her mind, you better damn well prove to her that you're a changed man and that you really do care."

He hesitated. Did he really care? That was a stupid question – for some reason, he did care. But did he really want her to know that?

Yes.

Somewhere deep inside, he really did. _'For Merlin's sake, I've become a pansy'._ But he stood up anyway.

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**Tuesday, June 1****st**** 2004**

**Ministry of Magic**

"Well, good morning sunshine!"

Hermione was startled out of her thoughts by Mitchell's over-the-top greeting. He was leaning back in his chair, a grin spread across his face from ear to ear.

"Good morning. You seem pretty chipper this morning."

He stood up, his grin widening if that was even possible. "I had a pretty wonderful date last night, if I'm being honest. But I think someone is going to be pretty delighted when she enters her office!" He spoke with an annoyingly singsong tone.

She stared blankly at him. "Are you high on something?"

Mitchell guffawed. "No! I just think someone is going to be pretty happy when she goes into her office."

"Huh?"

The smile dropped from his face. "Just bloody go into your office!" And then the smile was back.

"Geez, alright." She shook her head as she walked past him - the man was surely losing his mind – and pushed her office door open.

Sweet Circe.

It looked as though a florist store had relocated into her office. Vases bursting with stunning bouquets of flowers adorned both sides of her desk, with another two on either side of her bookshelf and another on the side table beside the couch. What the hell was this?

Mitchell stood behind her, that ridiculous grin still on his face. "Pretty nice, isn't it! There's a card on the table."

Carefully putting her handbag down so as to not break any of the delicate-looking crystal vases, she picked up the card from her desk.

_I was a complete fool. Please forgive me._

_Draco._

"Ooooh, he must have stuffed up big time." Mitchell said from over her shoulder.

"Really, Mitch?"

He put his hands up in surrender and left her office.

Forgive him? For what? If anything, she was the one who needed forgiving for the horrid way in which her parents had acted. What on earth did he have to be sorry for?

She made her way to his office, knocking on the closed door and opened it when there was no answer. His office was empty, his workbag nowhere in sight. With a huff of defeat, she made her way back to her office. She would just have to ask him later.

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**Tuesday, June 1****st**** 2004**

**Ministry of Magic**

Phineas Goldbloom almost had a heart attack as he walked past the open door of Hermione Granger's office on his way in to work. What the bloody hell was going on? Where had all those bloody flowers come from?

"Nice aren't they!" He almost glared at Mitchell when he spoke. No, they were not nice! "They're all from Malfoy."

Phineas almost gagged on his own saliva. "Oh. Lovely." He managed to choke out before rushing into his office and slamming the door shut.

This was not good. Not bloody good at all. They weren't supposed to be getting along and Malfoy most certainly wasn't supposed to be lavishing the Muggleborn bitch…ahem, witch with flowers. Oh no, this was not good in any way, shape or form.

And he was going to somehow put an end to it.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review with your thoughts.**

**As I said earlier, my updating schedule will be on an as-I-have-time basis. I promise to try to update as much as I can but it may be a little bit of time between chapters. Please bear with me!**


	19. XIX

**A/N: Hiya! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and especially for your well wishes for my family. It meant so much to me.**

**Life has really been a roller coaster over the past few months but I am definitely going to keep writing.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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**Chapter 19**

**Wednesday, June 2****nd**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

He hadn't gone into work today. For some stupidly inexplicable reason, he had actually been nervous about seeing Hermione. Sure, he had made the decision to prove to Hermione that he was a changed man, but that didn't mean he had to actually speak to her…right? Bouquets of flowers were a perfectly acceptable means of apology, weren't they?

Draco hung his head in shame. Merlin, he was pathetic. Flowers were most definitely not enough – at least, not for what he was trying to apologise for.

Blaise had been full of wonderful, and sometimes weird, ideas of how to 'prove his unending love' for the girl. He wasn't really able to tell the man that he didn't love the woman and if he were being honest, some of the ideas were rather ridiculous.

With a huff of defeat, he went into the kitchen. He hadn't really eaten much all day and he was bloody starved. With a few flicks of his wand, the pots were heating up and knives chopping away.

"Been hiding, I see?" Draco almost winced at the now familiar voice. It wasn't really question but a statement.

He spun around to face Hermione. Oh wow, she was beautiful in such a down-to-earth way. She had obviously gone home to change before dropping by unexpectedly. Her sleeveless floral blouse was tucked into a pair of denim shorts, the top few buttons undone to reveal just a hint of her décolletage. Even women as 'stunning' as Pansy and the women he had been with in the past couldn't look half as…simply beautiful as she did in that moment.

His mouth felt dry as he cleared his throat. "I wasn't hiding." He retorted, quite absurdly. He wasn't exactly fooling anyone.

"Mhmm." She sauntered forward, resting her hip against the kitchen benchtop. "Are you going to explain what exactly you're sorry for?"

"Huh?"

"The notes with the flowers. What are you sorry for?"

"Wh- are you kidding?" The oil from the saucepan began spitting as it heated up.

Hermione;s eyebrows furrowed. "No?" She almost asked. "I have no idea what you're apologising for."

"No idea?! Oh I don't know – our entire childhood?"

"Huh?"

How on earth was this woman the smartest witch of their generation?! "You know, the part where I tortured and tormented you for years, the part where my aunty quite literally tortured you, the part where I stood there and did nothing while she did, the part where I acted like a complete bloody prick!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, almost angrily. "Firstly, you are in no way to blame for what Bellatrix did. Like I've already told you – she was a completely psychotic bitch. As in, I'm quite certain there was something psychiatrically wrong with her. And we both know that if you had even tried to do anything, you would have ended up dead…or at least in the same situation as me." She paused for a moment. "If anything, you…you helped me."

"Huh?" He looked truly dumbfounded.

"You told your family that you didn't recognise us. If it weren't for that, I'm sure she would have killed us on the spot. And as for all the rest…yes, you were an arse. Actually, you were more than an arse – you were merciless and yes, I hated you for a very long time."

Draco almost wanted to roll his eyes. She was essentially twisting the proverbial knife in his heart. "That's exactly what I'm saying!"

She threw him a warning glare for interrupting her. "But that was all a long time ago. And since then, you have shown time and time again that you're not the same imbecile. I mean…you still are a bit of an imbecile," A smile graced her delicate features. "But not in the same way."

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from his lips

"All anyone has to do is look at the strides you've made for the Wizarding world, the donations you've made to charities, the way you work so hard to make things better. I mean, you even helped a Weasley with his career."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before a frown took over. "But I haven't made it up…to you."

"Draco! I don't need you to make it up to me." The frown didn't move from his face as he poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip. "If anything, you've done a damn good job making it up to me in bed."

Hermione giggled as he choked on his drink. "Excuse me?"

"Relax. I'm joking…well at least partly joking." She smiled at the pleased grin that spread across his face. "But I, in no way, expect you to make anything up to me."

He sighed as he leaned against the counter behind him. "But your pa-…I made you cry…to the point that your parents think I'm the devil incarnate."

"Yeah you made me cry…you're not the only person who has done that. But I learnt the importance of forgiving and forgetting a long time ago. And as for my parents, they haven't had a chance to see that you're simply not that stupid prejudiced boy anymore."

He opened his mouth to retort but she hushed him with a stern stare.

"Now I've had enough of this. Are you going to feed me or what?"

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**Wednesday, June 2****nd**** 2004**

**Apartment of Draco Malfoy**

They were lounging on the couch, her legs dangling over the side as she leaned her body against him. She could almost hear his thoughts bouncing around his head. Sweet Merlin, he just couldn't get over it.

To be fair to him, she could understand why he was so caught up with what her parents had revealed but at the same time was a little surprised. Even though she _knew_ he wasn't the same guy anymore, it was almost surreal to actually see it in action.

She let out a loud sigh. She didn't know what else she could really do to ease his mind, to reassure him that she truly didn't hold onto any of the past. If there was one thing the war had taught her, it was the value and sheer importance of letting the past go. The past has a great ability to destroy anyone's soul.

Hermione swung her legs back around the couch, curling her legs up to snuggle up against him. He gave her a slight smile, his eyes giving away his obvious unease.

She saw the flash of surprise flit across his face as she gently pressed her lips against his neck with a slight smile. Draco quickly turned his face to her, met by a seductive sly smile playing on her lips. His breath hitched a little as she slowly leant forward and pressed her lips against his.

In the past month that they had been doing whatever this way, it had always been him to initiate anything – to instigate any bit of physical contact, from holding her hand in public to having sex. The mere fact that it was her kissing him, and not the other way around, made a certain part of his body jump with arousal.

She whispered gentle kisses along his jaw line, stopping to nibble lightly on his earlobe for a second, before turning back to his lips. He looked like a child who had just hit the candy jackpot, leaning back for a second to drop his glass on the side table like a hot potato, before lurching forward and capturing her lips with his. His hands were instantly cupping her cheeks, the tips of his fingers entwined in her curls.

His abdominal muscles spasmed as her hand slipped under his shirt, her fingers ghosting across his skin. She shifted herself so that she was straddling his lap, her lips never losing contact with his. Her tongue ran along his lip, eliciting an aroused growl from him. One of his hands slowly crawled from her hair to grasp her bum, his fingers groping at her flesh.

"Wh-oa!" They jumped apart for a second to see Blaise's grinning face. "Well it's certainly getting a little heated in here."

"Zabini, you have 5 seconds to get the fuck out of here." Draco growled, his voice husky with arousal.

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**Monday, June 7****th**** 2004**

**Department of Public Relations, Ministry of Magic**

Phineas smiled as he deeply inhaled, enjoying the smoky aroma wafting from his steaming mug of coffee. He had been in a particularly foul mood after seeing the bloody floral emporium that had once been Hermione Granger's office the week before. Just remembering that moment itself was enough to dampen his mood before he took another deep breath of the dark brew.

He leaned back in his chair, a frown blooming across his face. He just did not understand what the bloody hell was going on!

He had spent the last 5 blasted years dealing with continuous bickering and name-calling between that snooty too-good suck-up, Granger and that pretentious entitled brat, Malfoy. He had to admit that it had eased a little over the past year or two once the pair had gotten sick of the constant arguing but he had always assumed that they hated each other enough and has far too little in common to make this entire farce seem plausible.

And yet here they were. They were flouncing all around town, pictures of them making bloody kissy-faces at each other on the cover of a number of gossip columns, making the public actually _believe_ that they were in a true relationship.

He had spent all weekend trying to figure out a way to sabotage them in a perfectly reasonable way. He had already tried giving false information to the press, making 'intoxicated confessions' about the cracks in their relationship. He had even tried bribing both men and women into seducing one of the pair to no avail.

Phineas huffed with displeasure as he glanced down at his now empty coffee mug. He needed more and there was nothing like a properly and freshly brewed pot of his liquid crack. His wife had always nagged him that he had an inappropriately high daily caffeine intake but he was more than willing to ignore her advice on this particularly topic.

He grumbled incoherently as he made his way to the tea room, freezing as something caught his eye.

The door to Draco Malfoy's office was slightly ajar, enough so that he could see to the man's workspace. Granger was leaning against the desk, a coy smile gracing her lips as her hands fiddled with his necktie. The lithe blonde leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the woman as he kissed her.

In private!

There were no cameras around. There weren't in public – there wasn't an audience of people ogling at them. They weren't putting on a show for anyone.

Phineas' felt nauseated, his mouth dry, as he stared at the spectacle in front of him. This was not right. It was not okay in any way, shape or form. He could just kill someone! This just would not do!

The heavy man stomped his way back to his office, a deep scowl etched onto his face. He was going to bring an end to this whole Malfoy-Granger lovefest in any way possible. 'No more Mr. Nice Guy', he thought to himself.

_Nothing_ was out of bounds anymore.

A crafty little smile crept onto his face as an idea popped into his head.

Ah yes, this was going to be perfect.

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_**Weasley Out and On The Prowl**_

_**Friday, June 11**__**th**__** 2004**_

_My sweets – can you believe it?! Ronald Weasley, known for his status as a war hero and the Wizarding World's latest train-wreck, was released from the cell that he has called home since his famed outburst and physical altercation with our couple du jour, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy._

_If you recall, Weasley was arrested after assaulting both Malfoy and Granger at The Three Broomsticks. Sources tell me that the man saw green after witnessing our darling couple canoodling in a corner booth. As you will surely recall, the blonde bombshell, also known as Draco Malfoy, refused to lower himself to the level of the crazed redhead and raise a hand against him._

_Last we had heard, the Weasley family was refusing to provide the money required for bail, instead deciding that the jealous hothead would most certainly benefit from a little time out. If you ask for my opinion my darlings, he is far from kosher after having _punched _Granger in the face_. _Well known for his short temper and knack for jealousy, I'm certain that Weasley is quite unlikely to turn a new leaf after such a brief stint behind bars._

_Sources tell me that the Weasley family are just as surprised as we are that Weasley has been release, indicating that they are not the ones who bailed him out!_

_All I can say is that our sweet couple may need to watch their backs. Their relationship truly seems to be blossoming and I can only speak for myself when I say that their romance is undeniably thrilling. I cannot wait to see what comes of these two and certainly hope that Weasley's release doesn't get in their way._

_With any luck this will be the last time we hear from Ronald Weasley for a while, but I highly doubt it._

_Until next time, my darlings!_

_Parvati Patel_

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**A/N: Please read and review! Love you!**


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